Brief introduction to the Wa Brief introduction to the Wa Brief introduction to the Wa The Wa is a unique ethnic minority in Yunnan Province. It is mainly distributed in Cangyuan, Ximeng, Gengma, Shuangjiang, Zhenkang, Yongde, Lancang, Yulian and other places in the southwest of Yunnan Province, and some are scattered.

In Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture.

There are more than 351,000 people, including more than 180,000 people in the two Kan autonomous counties of Ximeng and Cangyuan.

It was originally called "Kawa". In 1963, it was changed to its current name with the approval of the State Council.

The Wa area is located between the Lancang River and the Salween River, in the southern section of the Nushan Mountains.

The mountains overlap and there are very few flat dams, so they are called Awa Mountains.

The climate in mountainous areas is relatively complex and rich in economic trees.

Deep in the dense forest, there are precious wild animals such as elephants, tigers, leopards, bears, deers, and wild boars.

The Wa people call themselves "Awa" and are a branch of the "Baipu" during the Zhou and Qin Dynasties.

In the Qing Dynasty, there were different names such as "Gasi", "Hawa" and "Kawa".

After the founding of New China, they were collectively referred to as the Wa people, which means "people who live in the mountains."

The Wa people have their own language, which belongs to the Wa branch of the Mon-Khmer language family of the Austro-Asiatic language family.

In the past, woodcuts and physical objects were used to record events for a long time.

The Wa script was created in the 1950s.

The Wa people are mainly engaged in agriculture and like to drink alcohol and chew betel nut.

Chewing betel nut makes many people dye their teeth black and their lips red, which is considered a beauty.

Bamboo tubes are often used as drinking utensils. During festivals, weddings and funerals, entertaining guests, and discussions, toasts must be made according to traditional etiquette. Therefore, there is a saying that "without wine, there is no etiquette."

The Wa people are good at singing and dancing.

Common dances include "circle dance", "Chong Lei dance", etc.

The "circle dance" does not distinguish between men, women, old and young. The dancers hold hands and dance while singing. The atmosphere is very lively.

History of the Wa Nationality The legend of "Sigangli" is widely circulated in the Wa area.

The Wa people in the Ximeng area explain that "Sigang" means a stone cave and "li" means coming out, which means that humans came out of the stone cave very early.

Legend has it that the Wa people came out of the cave first.

The cave is located in the middle of Awa Mountain, on a nearby mountain about sixty miles west of Ximeng County.

To this day, the Wa people in Ximeng and other places regard the cave as a "holy place".

The Wa people in the Cangyuan area explain that "Sigang" means "gourd" and "li" means coming out, which means humans come out of the gourd.

Although the Wa people in various regions have different interpretations of "Sigangli", they all regard Awa Mountain as the birthplace of mankind, and it also reflects that they are the earliest residents in the Awa Mountain area.

"Sigangli" is the Wa people's memory of their own ethnic group's life in ancient caves.

Wa Music The Wa people have about 266,000 people and live in Yunnan Province. The Wa people have their own script based on Latin letters. Their language belongs to the Mon-Khmer language family of the Austro-Asiatic language family. The Wa people believe in primitive religion.

The Wa people are famous for their singing and dancing.

Every major religious festival, people dress up in costumes and sing and dance for several days. The music is based on the accompaniment of wooden drums, bamboo drums and gourds and shengs, depicting the Wa people singing and dancing in front of bamboo buildings.

Etiquette of the Wa people: The Wa people are generous and hospitable. They welcome guests with wine first. They believe that it is not a courtesy to drink without wine.

The Wa people have various customs of entertaining guests and toasting.

One is that the toasting host first takes a sip himself to dispel the guests' various wariness, and then passes the drinks to the guests in turn.

The guest must drink the wine offered to the guest, and try his best to drink it all to show his sincerity, otherwise it will be considered disrespectful to the host; another form is that the host and guest both squat on the ground, the host hands the wine to the guest with his right hand, and the guest uses his right hand.

After taking it, pour it on the ground a little or flick the wine on the ground with your right hand, which means respecting the ancestors.

Then the host and the guests drink it all together.

The Wa people have the habit of not toasting wine to those who are ignorant and unkind.

Whenever the son goes out and the guests leave, the host will give him a "bridal gift".

That is to toast relatives or guests. At that time, the host fills the wine with a gourd (wine container), takes a sip first, and then brings it to the mouth of the guest or far away relative. The guest needs to drink until the gourd bottoms out to express family affection and friendship.

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Celebrations of the Wa people In the past, the Wa people generally believed in animistic primitive religion. In some areas, the Wa people believed in Buddhism. Almost all festivals were accompanied by sacrificial activities.

In addition to killing chickens and pigs, traditional sacrificial activities also include the unique act of robbing cattle.

For example: During the Sowing Festival (Qi Ai month in the Wa calendar and March in the Gregorian calendar), the whole village gathers together to steal cattle, and the cattle stealing ceremony is presided over by the owner of the donated cattle.

At that time, the owner will stab the heart of the cow with an iron knife to kill it, and then divide the beef equally among the customers to worship their ancestors.

Cow bones belong to their owners and cow skulls are seen as a sign of wealth.

After the ancestor worship ceremony, the whole family had lunch and started sowing wadi.

"Bengnanni" is a festival that celebrates the old and welcomes the new. It should be chosen on the day of worshiping Hai in the last month of the Wa calendar year. At the fourth watch of the night, all the leaders and young and middle-aged men of the village will gather at the house of the king of the village.

They also collected money to buy a pig and a chicken to be slaughtered. Each family used a small bamboo table to bring a pot of glutinous rice, a piece of cake, etc. to the village king to pay New Year greetings and offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors.

Afterwards, they gave each other cakes and congratulated each other.

At dawn, people worship the sacred tree and start hunting and catching fish and shrimps in order to bring good luck in the new year.

In other festivals, such as the festival to receive new water, make new fires, play wooden drums and other activities, chickens and pigs must be killed for sacrifice.