Naxi woman in sheep's clothing

 

Naxi woman in sheep's clothing

 

The truly original, rich and clear Naxi singing echoes in the mountains.

Lacuo led the caravan with Agudengba, Azhuo and Chu Sanxing along the Tea Horse Road and passed through the trails in the dense forests of the mountains. The Yunnan horses carried the goods and continued to walk to the top of the mountain. The pine forest in front of us is getting higher and higher, denser and greener. Walking to the highest point, looking around, you can have a panoramic view of the sea and wetlands in the distance. This is a broad wetland. A flat and endless wetland suddenly appears outside the mountains of the plateau. It is like a lake in the vast desert. It is exciting to see.

Lacuo unknowingly walked to the Tea Horse Station halfway up the mountain.

Lacuo said: This is the place where the caravan rests, adjusts and feeds the horses.

Lacuo saw someone selling horse feed, so he dismounted and bought horse feed, and fed the Yunnan horses with his grooms. Azhuo and Chu Sanxing also fed their horses. Agudengba used these horse feeds to feed his donkeys and horses. Unexpectedly, in just a short time, half a small pot of corn kernels was eaten by the donkey Mahu. This is the first time Agudenba feeds donkeys with horse feed.

According to local custom, caravans are not allowed to enter the village. But this is a tea horse station, which is the resting place for the caravan. A businessman living here invited Lacuo and his party to stay at his inn.

During the break, an old woman wearing a sheepskin shawl came over and enthusiastically poured tea and fruits for them.

Azhuo and Chu Sanxing were both curious: Why is this old woman wearing this weird sheepskin shawl?

The old woman brought an old-fashioned sheepskin shawl from the inner room and solved the doubts of Adhuo and Chu Sanxing with a smile. She said to Lacuo, Agudengba and their guests:

This is a Naxi woman’s sheepskin shawl that I wore when I got married. Now it is a rare old-fashioned sheepskin shawl. You see, the left and right sides of the shoulder are decorated with a large disc carefully embroidered with colorful silk threads. It is called "Bamei" in Naxi language. The one on the left symbolizes "Nimei", which is the sun. The one on the right symbolizes "Hengmei" and represents the moon.

The old woman turned over the old-fashioned sheepskin shawl again and said: There are seven small discs on the back of this sheepskin, which are called "Baro" in Naxi language, symbolizing the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper. There are strands of suede thread tied under the disc, symbolizing the shining stars.

The old woman said that Naxi women carry the sun and moon of the snow-covered ancient country on their shoulders. You see, we Naxi women carry the sun and moon on our shoulders and the stars on our backs. The first Naxi woman was called Linhong Baobaimi. She was the daughter of the gods of heaven and earth. She was protected by the sun and the moon. She used the moonlight and starlight to weave clothes. Naxi women once had blessings and freedom as big as the sky and as wide as the earth under the bright blessing of the sun, moon and stars.

The old woman added: My grandmother told me many times that in ancient times, Naxi women were as free as deer on the mountains, cranes in the sky, and geese in the lake. They could make their own decisions to find the man of their choice, and they could refuse to marry their parents. The master tells you about your husband's family.

The old woman sighed:

The misery of Naxi women was caused by subsequent suppression by the "official government". It is precisely because the sheepskin shawl symbolizes the freedom and dignity of Naxi women that Naxi women who died for love will leave the sheepskin shawl intact in the world.

The old woman then told the guests: My great-grandmother once witnessed a couple committing suicide on Baishi Mountain. The woman folded the black sheepskin shawl she was wearing and put it aside carefully before committing suicide. My grandmother also saw a pair of lovers who committed suicide by eating mercury in order to keep their appearance on Baishi Mountain. The woman also put her sheepskin shawl neatly on a bamboo basket. Wearing new clothes from the wedding, various jewelry, hair loose, and some wild flowers in the hair. Before they died, they built a beautiful "Youji" with white linen cloth and green pine branches. "Youji" is the house of those who died in love. "Youji" is dotted with various wild flowers, and the two sleep side by side on a bed made of branches, covered with thick green pine needles.

This is a lament composed by countless living lives. Azhuo and Chu Sanxing were speechless.

At this time, the old woman fetched another pair of embroidered shoes. She said to Lacuo, Agudengba, Adhuo and Chu Sanxing:

These are a pair of embroidered shoes from the early Republic of China, with purple satin embroidery, silk, leather, and cowhide soles. They were the dowry I carefully prepared for my daughter, but my daughter died in love with her lover. Before I had time to give these embroidered shoes to her, she left and I kept these embroidered shoes. Looking at these shoes, I could only cry silently.

The old woman sang a love song "I Weared a Sheepskin Shawl" to miss her daughter:

 

I put on my sheepskin shawl,

The left and right sides of the shoulder area,

Each is decorated with a large round disc of Bame,

Carefully embroidered with colorful silk threads,

The Nime on the left is the sun,

The one on the right is the moon.

The sheepskin back is decorated with discs,

The seven small disks are called baro,

Symbolizing the Big Dipper in the sky,

The suede thread is tied under the disc,

Those are wisps of shining starlight.

 

I put on my sheepskin shawl,

Carrying the sun and moon on both shoulders,

Carrying seven stars on my back,

A Naxi girl from an ancient snowy country,

Calling for the red lining and the white crotch,

She is the daughter of the gods of heaven and earth,

The sun and moon protect her,

She weaves clothes with starlight,

Blessing is as big as the sky,

Blessings are as wide as the earth.

 

I put on my sheepskin shawl,

Pursue freedom in marriage and love,

The Naxi girl is like a deer on the mountain,

Naxi women are cranes in the sky,

Naxi women are geese in the lake,

Naxi women can make their own decisions.

You can find the man you like,

Reject the in-laws’ advice from parents.

Times have changed now,

I hope time will not turn back.