|
The Dai
No other ethnic group in Yunnan is so much presented as a tourist attraction themselves as the Dai of Xishuangbanna. The Sani, the Bai and the Naxi may be well promoted as integral aspects of their respective areas. But the promotional material often omits them in favour of scenic highlights, like the stone pillars of Shilin, the waters of Erhai Lake and the snow peaks of Jade Dragon Mountain. The imagery of Xishuangbanna, unless it's a tree, flower or pagoda, almost always includes Dai people in their tropical setting. Most often these are women, generally young, bathing in the stream, chatting under umbrellas, walking to the market carrying baskets suspended at each end of a balance pole, picking fruits in the orchards, fixing flowers in their hair, performing the Peacock Dance and fetching water from the village well. Sometimes they are men, as monks, fishermen casting nets, shirtless farmers ploughing with buffaloes and dancers in the streets beating long drums.
Publicists promote the Dai people as a major component of Xishuangbanna's charm. In the photos the Dai are always clean and healthy-looking, the women slim, graceful and often beautiful, while everybody looks happy and enjoying themselves. Displaying the Dai in a setting of lush forests, warm plains, and the exotic fruits and flowers of the tropics hints that the environment itself produces people as gentle and contented as the Dai. Moreover, and this is even more persuasive to Chinese who have never left their country, there is nothing Han-looking about the houses, the pagodas or the people's faces. It's like being in Southeast Asia, except that Xishuangbanna is part of China.
One might be a little suspicious of such a positive image, yet in actuality it is not really inaccurate. It may be that an agreeable climate, fertile land and plenty of water has helped mould the Dai character. Theravada Buddhism and a strong streak of innate conservatism have been equally influential. Historically the Dai who moved south in the face of Han expansion resisted assimilation. 19th century European travellers often made note of the fact that in dress, manners, food, domestic life and religion the Dai were less like the Chinese than all but the remotest hill people.
Five kinds of Dai live in Xishuangbanna. The smaller branches are the Huayao Dai, Han Dai, Kemu Dai and Paxitai. The Huayao are the most splendidly dressed. Huayao means Flowery Waist, after the heavy use of embroidery on the women's costume parts around the midriff. They wear a black sarong to mid-calf, topped by a short skirt, the hems of both thickly embroidered, a short jacket over a long-sleeved one, and a silver turban.
The Han, or Dry Land Dai are so named because they settle somewhat away from the rivers. Like the Huayao, they are animist, so no temples stand in their villages. The Kemu are originally a Mon-Khmer tribal group, called Khamu in Laos and Thailand, who have been assimilated into Dai culture. The Paxitai are Dai by race and Muslim by religion.
Most of Xishuangbanna Dai are the Shui Dai, or Water Dai, though they are also known as the Lu, or Tai Lu, as their cousins are called in northern Laos and northern Thailand. These Dai traditionally live by rivers and streams and have been Buddhist since at least the 12th century, perhaps through contacts with converted Dai branches in Laos, Thailand and Burma. The religion stresses the law of karma and enjoins its adherents to "make merit".as often as possible.
Equally important as a determinant of Dai behaviour is the Dai concept of keeping a "cool heart." This means refraining from displays of anger or great displeasure, not being insistent in one's dealings with others and avoiding rude and boisterous actions. Consequently the Dai rarely argue in public or stumble around drunk making nuisances of themselves. But this reserve and self-control does not make them sedate and dour people. On the contrary, a sense of fun and enjoyment permeates as much of ordinary daily life as possible.
One of the most enjoyable social activities among the youth is courtship (though it also has the potential to be heart-breaking). They have the freedom to choose their own spouses and have evolved customs to formalise the procedure. Traditionally every village girl learned how to spin thread. As a young woman, single and available, she might choose to do her spinning out in the open, bringing her wheel and two stools, one for her and one for any young man who is interested in her. He sits beside her while she spins. If the movement of the wheel is steady and rhythmic, indicating that the girl is trying to make a good impression, the boy stays. If the spinning is discordant and jerky, the girl is hinting at her lack of interest and the boy leaves, his place then taken by another.
Another method is possible on market days, particularly just before a big festival. The girl braises a chicken she has raised herself and brings it to the market, hoping to arouse the attention of the boy she likes. If he does indeed approach her, the pair take the chicken to a secluded place in the woods for a private picnic. If an unsuitable boy approaches and asks the price of it, she demands double the going rate and doesn't go off with him.
At festivals, too, when the girls dance they carry a small bag on a string and, during or at the end of a dance, each girl tosses it to the object of her affections, openly showing her interest in him. Anything can happen after that. If it results in a wedding it will be held at the girl's home, probably with Buddhist monks in attendance to bless the union. The moment of marriage occurs when the bride's parents tie white thread around the wrists of the bride and groom. A folk singer performs next, followed by a feast and an evening of dancing before the groom takes his bride back to his own house.
TOP |
