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SmallThe Dulong Nationality
The Dulong, (Drung), people only 5,000 and inhabit the territory where China. Tibet and Burma come together, along the Drung RiverValley. Women sometimes scar and tatoo their faces, to appear more beautiful, to proclaim they belong to the Dulung and to ward off evil spirits. They practice bull sacrifice.
The Dulong People people closest to nature in Nujiang, only recently becoming acquainted with modernity and the outside world, are the Dulong. Formerly know as the Qiu, they call themselves Dulong, or Drung, in their own language, a Tibeto-Burman tongue close to the Anu dialect of the northern Nu. Western Gongshan County is their only habitat in Yunnan, where they number about 6000, though some more live on the Burmese side of the Dandanglika Mountains. There are known as the Numg.
Until about a generation ago the Dulong were still in a primitive mode of life. This meant slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, fishing and gathering, thus growing or collecting all their food. The forests provided materials for housing, domestic furniture and utensils and containers. Concomitant with this kind of lifestyle was a low population density, small villages, tight clan relationships and ecological harmony. Basic self-sufficiency, however, and at the minimun level, was all that could be expected.
In addition to a healthy respect for nature, a result of their total involvement with it on every level, this kind of existence produced a character that was straight forward and famously honest. They will not even keep anything crimes to a Dulong. They will not even keep anything that has been accidentally dropped or lost on the trail. Instead they will hang it up in plain view on the nearest tree, for the owner to pick up at another time.
Iron farming implements, such as ploughs and orth tools, have been introduced to the Dulong, increasing and diversifying the output. Road construction is slowly but surely linking the far-flung villages. Hydel projects and even satellite dishes have come to the Dulong valley. Markets have introduced new gadgets and sist in most aspects of Dulong life.
The Dulong costume is basically a strip of woven hemp cloth, one metre by two metres, with a color scheme similar to that made by the Nu. This is simply wrapped around the body and tied at the neck, often leaving one shouder bare. Individuation is expressed in the various ways of wrapping and tying it. Jewellery, if any, will be strings of bead. In former times the main decoration for women was the facial tattoo, done in indigo pigment applied with slivers of wood. Girls got their tattoos at puberty and each clan had its own set of designs.
Nowadays in western Gongshan one still see older Dulong women with tattooed faces. But since the extentsion of Chinese administration here in 1956 the sustom has fallen out of fasion. It's a rare Dulong girl who has it done now. The origion is not clear. Some claim it was a reaction to the assault of powerful tribe who enslaved the Dulong and went after their women. Hence, they were tattooed to make them unattractive to the oppresors. Oddly, though, neither Rous, the chronicler of the Irrawaddi Expedition of 1895, nor kingdon Ward in his reports on the area, ever mentioned the tattoos, though both of them saw plenty of Dulong women on their journeys.
For the non-Christian majority of the Dulong, as for their unconverted Nu neighours to the east, the most important man in society is the Lemuya. He is the ritual specialist shaman. healer and diviner of the village. He is chosen, as are all shamans everywhere, by the spirits themselves. Since Dulonh villages are self-sufficient households in clan alliances. No political authority or hierarchy exists. The Lemuya is thus effectively the village leader. He oversees the collective rituals and is expected to be thoroughly familiar with tribal history and customs.
In his role as shamam he may recommend that his patient sacrifice a chicken to the spirits. And then as tribal emcee officiate at the slaying of it. To exorcise ghosts he will order the slaying of a crow. To ensure good hunting he will make buckwheat dough figurines of the game animals for a ritual to the mountain god. And he is in charge of the ritual slaying of an ox at Dulong New Year.
