The Derung People 独龙族

The Derung people&`&s namesake is the Derung River, which gushes from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into the valley where they live. The only road into Derung River Valley is closed half of the year due to the heavy snows of the Gaoligong (高黎贡) and Dandanglika (担当力卡) Mountains, making the lives of the Derung people even more mysterious to outsiders. Yang Yuanji is a local resident. "To get to the Derung River Valley, you need to climb over Ligong Mountain, which is around five thousand meters high. But the mountain is only accessible for six months of the year because the rest of the time it is blocked by heavy snow. So, basically, the Derung people live in a valley isolated from the outside world." The Derung are historically known as the Qiu, or Qu, and did not have any particular name for themselves until the establishment of the People&`&s Republic of China. Nor did they have a written language, and used tied knots and wood carvings to pass on messages. This solitary and idyllic lifestyle has also helped preserve the traditions of the Derung people, for instance the distinctive and mysterious face tattoos worn by the women. Ken Guoqing is head of Derung village. "At age 12 or 13, Derung girls got the tattoos as a rite of passage. There were two kinds of patterns common in different regions; one is a whole-face tattoo that spreads like the wings of a butterfly. The other is just a few lines on the chin. Facial tattoos for Derung women are just like make-up for today&`&s modern girls." While serving a cosmetic purpose as well as a traditional one, the process of getting a face tattoo is far more painful than simply applying foundation and a little face powder. The tattooist first paints the design on the girl&`&s face and then punctures the skin with a sharp bamboo stick. The process is finally finished by filling in the design with a mixture of soot and herb extract. The red swelling disappears after a week, leaving a permanent dark blue design on the skin. There are different interpretations as to why Derung women have their faces tattooed. Some say it&`&s to achieve a beautiful effect; some say it&`&s for self-protection, to scare off evil spirits and bandits; and some say maybe it&`&s just a way to distinguish between different tribes and clans. No matter what the original purpose was, the process is certainly extremely painful. Nowadays, few Derung women are willing to undergo this painful old ritual; and as a result, this unique tradition is fading away. There are only some 20 Derung women left with facial tattoos, and most of them are between the ages of 60 and 80. This means that facial tattoos among Derung women will possibly disappear within a decade. Like many ethnic groups in China, the Derung people are talented at singing and dancing. They sing about their lives, expressing happiness or sadness. Wu Xueyuan, deputy director of the China Traditional Music Association, says much of the Derungs&`& history has been passed on from generation to generation through song. "The Derung people have used singing to record their history, to remember their heroes and to narrate their bitterness and happiness in life. Derung songs are, in fact, an encyclopedia from which you can learn every aspect about the Derung people. " Kaquewa (卡雀哇) is an important occasion for the Derung people, when they hold feasts, sing and dance. The word Kaquewa is a transliteration of the Derung language; meaning "to gather the clan people for worship", which happens at the New Year Festival. This is the only traditional Derung festival. The date is quite flexible, fixed by a consensus of the extended family or the individual village. Sometimes, the New Year takes place at the end of the 12th lunar month. The length of festivities ranges from two to five days, depending on the existing food stock. The New Year is both a celebration of the harvest and an occasion for cattle sacrifice. An offering is made to the deity who is believed to have created humans, and to all of nature&`&s spirits. On the first day of the festival, the Derung women hang their well-woven flax fabric on a bamboo pole and place it on the roof of their dwellings to usher in the beginning of the celebration. All clan members will then get together to feast, dance and sing; festivities often carry on throughout the night. The distinctive blanket is also one of the Derungs&`& cultural features. It is usually one by two meters in size, and is traditionally made of flax. The Derung people used to wear it as a gown during the day and sleep under it as a blanket at night. Now, they usually wear it as an accessory. Bestowed with these valuable cultural treasures from his ancestors, Yang Yuanji says he is grateful and proud to count himself as one of the Derung people. "I&`&m proud of my fellow tribesmen. The Derung people have a remarkable history. They have made their living and created their cultural value over the centuries in this remote area full of hardship and difficulties. Although the Derung population is very small, they have developed a distinctive culture, providing their descendants with a rich cultural heritage." As time has changed, the Derungs have begun to live a new life and step out of their village to look towards the wider world, but their traditions still survive in the deep mountains and their idyllic lifestyle remains. That may well explain why most people living in the Derung Village wear a smile so easily and sing songs so passionately.