Among them, Yushuiping Site (Tongdian Town, Lanping County, Nujiang Prefecture) has been identified for at least 10,000 years, and Tangzigou Site (Pupiao Town, Longyang District, Baoshan City) has been identified for at least 8,000 years. From the unearthed house relics, fire relics, working tools, animal fossils and other physical objects, we can see the wordless history books of Dai ancestors, which are informative, heavy and vivid.
At least 3,000 years ago, Dai ancestors had established several small countries in the upper and middle reaches of Lancang River and Nujiang River, among which "Mengzhang" was the most powerful. Sima Qian, a historian of the Han Dynasty, recorded "Meng Zhang" as "a country that rides on elephants" in his Historical Records.
In the 5th century BC, the small Dai countries in the middle and upper reaches of Lancang River and Nujiang River formed an alliance country centered on "Meng Zhang", and the king of "Meng Zhang" became the master of the whole alliance country, which was called "Zhaolong" by people all over the world, "Ailong" by kings all over the world, and "Meng Zhang" was gradually called "Meng Daguang".
Chinese classics such as Huayang Guozhi and the Book of the Later Han Dynasty recorded this Dai Union country as "Ailao Country", while Dai classics recorded it as "Mengdaguang Country" (transliteration "Daguang Country", free translation "Central Country").
In 109 BC, after the Han Dynasty annexed the Dian State (around Dianchi Lake and Fuxian Lake), it conquered the tribes of "Kunming" and "Zhang" in the west of the Dian State and set up military strongholds (counties) in the territory of "Mengdaguang" (Ailao State) further west.
After more than a hundred years, "Dian", "Kunming", "Zhang" and other ethnic groups repeatedly turned against the Han Dynasty, and they were all chased into "Mengdaguang" (a place of mourning) by the Han Dynasty. Dai ancestors absorbed a large number of ethnic groups such as "Dian", "Kunming" and "Zhang", and finally formed a powerful ethnic group.
The customs of the Dai people:
Taboo outsiders riding horses, driving cattle, carrying loads and unkempt hair into the stockade; When entering the Dai bamboo house, you should take off your shoes outside the door and walk lightly inside. You can't sit above or cross the fireplace, enter the owner's inner room, or sit on the threshold;
You can't move the tripod on the fireplace, and you can't pedal the fire; Don't whistle and cut your nails at home; Do not use clothes as pillows or sit on pillows; When drying clothes, the coat should be dried at a high place, and the pants and skirts should be dried at a low place; When entering a Buddhist temple, you should take off your shoes and avoid touching the young monk's head, Buddha statues, spears, banners and other Buddhist sacred objects.
Extended data
Dietary culture of Dai people;
Most Dai people have the habit of eclipsing two meals, taking rice and glutinous rice as their staple food. Dehong Dai's staple food is japonica rice, while Xishuangbanna Dai's staple food is glutinous rice. Usually, it is eaten immediately. People believe that japonica rice and glutinous rice will not lose their original color and fragrance until they are eaten immediately, so they do not eat overnight rice or rarely eat it, and they are used to pinching rice with their hands.
Dai people are a people who live in a place with low altitude and wide area (commonly known as "bazi"). Due to the influence of climate, temperature and other natural factors, the most remarkable feature of the Dai people living on the dam is that they like sour food, so they are called "sour".
In the famous recipes of the Dai people, almost all their famous dishes are inseparable from acid. As a seasoning, "acid" is both plant-based, such as bamboo shoots and limes; There are also animals, such as acid ants; There are also those made by chemical reactions, such as vinegar (homemade).
On the one hand, the Dai people's diet is acidophilic, which is related to their living areas. The Dai people live in hot and dry places. Acidic food can not only help digestion, but also stimulate appetite and prevent heatstroke.
The Dai people are addicted to eating acid, which is gradually formed and preserved by overcoming natural factors such as high temperature in the process of fighting against nature. It is the simplest, most direct and most effective custom formed in the process of labor, and it is also the most conspicuous highlight in Dai food culture and a reflection that best reflects national characteristics.
Baidu encyclopedia-Dai nationality