The Va People

The Va live in Ximeng, Menglian, Gengma, Lancang, Shuangjiang, Zhenkang and Yongde counties in southwest Yunnan. Others are in Xishuangbanna and the Dehong Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefectures. The Va are actually a collection of 45 subgroups, each with a distinct dialect. Their language belongs to the Austroasiatic family. Previously, records had been kept by engraving on bamboo strips; however, an alphabetic script was created for them in 1957. Since records were kept on bamboo strips, few historical records of the Va people remain.

In the past, until 1962, the Va were headhunters with other tribes living in fear of them. Because the demons they worshiped demanded human sacrifice, they hunted heads to ensure a good harvest. The Va have an expression: "There is no sight so beautiful as the three-pronged fork," which refers to the poles they used for hanging the heads of their victims in their villages.

The mountains where the Va live are covered with thick primeval forests that are home to a number of rare animals. This has resulted in the land being declared a nature reserve. Most of their villages are on hilltops or slopes. When building a house, villagers help one another, presenting timber and straw as gifts. Through a collective effort, a house is built in a day. The chieftain's house, known as the "big house," is marked by a special woodcut on top.

The Va grow dry rice, maize, millet, buckwheat, potatoes, cotton, hemp, tobacco, sugarcane, bananas, papayas, mangos and oranges. However, they did not begin to be an agricultural community until the Qing Dynasty. Before that, they lived from hunting and collecting local fruits and vegetables.

Va clothing is generally black. Men wear black, collarless jackets and short, loose trousers. On their head is often a black or red turban. Young men wear earrings with tassels. The women's clothing is significant both culturally and historically. They, too, wear collarless jackets along with skirts patterned in black, red, purple, blue and yellow. Women keep their hair long, coiled at the back. They wear a headdress that is a collection of silver bands combined with a headscarf. They also wear long, silver earrings. Their 10 centimeter-wide bracelet is a particularly important ornament for them. A woman's age can be determined from the small girdles of rattan or bamboo worn around her wrists or ankles-each year of her life a new one is added.

When a young man loves a young woman, he will visit her at her home and sing the Hair Combing Song. If the girl returns his affection, she sits with him and first caresses and then combs his hair with a wooden comb. Later, he will send a go-between who will deliver a small amount of "love money." If she accepts it, they will marry; if she refuses, it means she does not love him or her parents do not approve. If the parents do not approve, the man will return to her and steal her head kerchief. She will then chase after him. While she is gone, her parents will consult the gods to see if they approve of the marriage. If the gods approve, they can do nothing to stop it.

To welcome guests from faraway places, the Va hold the "buffalo-tail-cutting ceremony." A group of men, each holding a knife, will stand in a circle with a fat buffalo in the middle. After the village chief says a few words and cuts off the tail letting it fall to the ground, the men pounce on it. The tail is then offered to the most honored guest.

Many Va have a passion for gambling. This has caused much suffering as the men will often gamble away children or wives as slaves once all their money has been lost. Along with chewing betel nut and drinking liquor, drug addiction and violence have crept in among them in recent years.

The Va are animists. The highest Va god is Mujij. Mujij had five sons who were the deities in charge of the creation of heaven, earth, lightning, earthquake and bringing up the Va people. Many Va families hold their own sacrificial offerings. Witch doctors, or shamans, control the affairs of the village and are mediators between the Va and the spirits. These men receive direction from the spirits by entering into a trance and divining what sacrifices must be made in order to please the spirits. If the spirits are not pleased, severe consequences await the people.