Pumi (people)

The ancestors of the Pumi were the ancient Dzyans . Of all the national minorities of China, the Pumi traveled the longest migration route. Initially, they wandered on the territory of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, later headed to warmer areas within the 4th century Henduanshan mountains. BC e. Later, in the 7th century, they migrated to the southwest of Sichuan and became the dominant people in the Sichan region, and in the 14th century, during the reign of the Yuan Dynasty , many of the Pumi followed the Mongols to the northwest of Yunnan, where the Pumi nationality became steadily to develop and strengthen. Having settled there, they took up farming, and local landowners took control of the Pumi economy in Lanping and in the vicinity of Lijiang . With the exception of small territories, local landowners received tax from large land plots: peasants had to pay more than 50% of the harvest. Among the large landowners from among the Pumi, slaves were traded. With the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, these landowners lost their strength and status and were retrained as ordinary locals (Rakhimov 1981: 57).

The main occupation of the Pumians is rainfed farming, they grow barley (including zinc ), oats , buckwheat, and corn . In the past, agriculture was undeveloped due to the fact that 90% of the cultivated land was located in the mountains, and farming methods were extremely primitive. A large role is played by animal husbandry (cows, horses, goats, pigs), poultry farming (mainly chickens) and flight keeping. The development of these areas is associated with the founding of the Lanping Bai Pumi Autonomous County in 1988. Ancillary activities such as hunting and gathering (mainly collecting medicinal plants) are important. Household crafts are widely developed - the manufacture of agricultural implements, household items, weaving from bamboo, weaving (Reshetov 1965: 525).

The Pumians themselves call themselves differently, depending on the area of ​​residence, for example, those living in the Lanping , Lijiang and Yongsheng counties call themselves “ pumini ”. The self-designation “paimi” means “white man”. In Chinese sources, pumi are referred to as "Xifan" or "Bajuy." The neighboring peoples call the Pumi differently: the Lizzy nasi call them Bo , the fox - Lyulupa , etc. After the formation of the PRC, the nationality received the same name - Pumi (Reshetov 1998: 429).

By the middle of the first half of the 20th century, the social structure of the pumi was characterized by feudal relations. The landlords concentrated in their hands the bulk of the land. Elements of capitalism began to penetrate the Pumi economy in the 2nd quarter of the 20th century. Along with this, survivals of the primitive communal system were preserved. Families belonging to the same genus ate together, venerating the common ancestors. The ashes of the dead - members of the same kind were buried in the same forest cave. The traditions of mutual assistance were preserved. The interests of the village in relations with other villages were represented by an elected elder who also resolved internal disagreements. The Pumi community in Yongsheng and Ninglan County consisted of large patriarchal families , while small families dominated in Lanping and Weixi . Modern families are small, monogamous . Patrilineal primogenesis was traced (Reshetov 1965: 525).

Monogamy prevailed in traditional society, but some large landowners practiced polygamy . Cross - married marriages were made, most girls got married at the age of 15, and men at 18. After the wedding, a new family stood out. In 1949, the practice of “forced marriage” and the engagement of unborn children was over (Ibid.).

In the system of religious beliefs, animism dominated. In particular, the cult of trees, mountains, rivers, etc. was developed. There was a custom of tea drinking: it was supposed to splash onto a tripod before starting to drink tea. Pumi profess shamanism , the nature of which is similar to Bon among the Tibetans and Dunba among Nashi . At the funeral of shamans - shishibi in the counties of Ninlan and Lanping "open the way to the soul of the deceased," as if pointing her the way to the ancient habitats of the ancestors in the north. Under the influence of neighbors - Tibetans, Nashi, fox , and Bai - Buddhism ( Lamaism ) and Taoism (Zhang Weiwei, Zeng Qingnan 1993: 220) became widespread.

The villages are located approximately 500 meters apart on the sloping mountain slopes. The houses are built of wood and with two floors: the lower for livestock, the upper - residential. The hearth is arranged in the center of the room and on the ground, that is, this site is not covered with boards, they sit around it, legs crossed. Behind the hearth, near the wall there is an altar . A woman is forbidden to enter the house between the ancestral altar and the hearth. Pumi is very hospitable. Before entering the room, the guest should ask if there is anyone and wait for the owner’s invitation. The left side of the room is for male guests, the left is for female guests (Zhang Weiwei, Zeng Qingnan 1993: 219).

The main food is corn and barley products - cereals and flat cakes. Vegetables and fruits are consumed little, limited only to Chinese cabbage, carrots and melons . Tea is an important part of the meal. Cougars love alcoholic beverages, which they themselves prepare in large quantities at home. They also observe a strict taboo: they don’t eat dogs (Reshetov 1998: 429).

Men's clothing consists of trousers and long jackets (almost to the knees), the richest are wearing morocco vests. Most men have saber belts. The head is wrapped in a narrow piece of matter, laying in the shape of a large turban . Women are wrapping a braid in a large shawl. The spit is prettier than it is more. They wear a long wide skirt with pleats and a blouse with a wrap to the right, which is put into the skirt and belted with a multi-colored wide belt. Over the skirt they put on an apron. In Lanping and Weisy, women wear green, blue, or white sweatshirts under sleeveless jackets and trousers with an embroidered belt. In Ninlan and Yongsheng, vestiges of the initiation rite remain: boys who have reached the age of 13 years old are solemnly wearing trousers, and girls are wearing skirts, as are adults (Reshetov 1965: 525).

Pumi - good dancers and singers. Singing competitions are held at wedding ceremonies and festivals. In flute dancing, one can recognize movements associated with their work in the field, hunting, or weaving (Zhang Weiwei, Zeng Qingnan 1993: 221).

At the end of the 20th century, Pumi was created based on the Latin alphabet ^[1] .

Initials:

Finals:

Tones are denoted by the letters v, f, r .

• Rakhimov T. R. Cultural revolution // Fates of non-Han peoples in China. M .: Thought, 1981.P. 57-58.
• Reshetov A. M. Pumi // Peoples and religions of the world / Chapters. ed. V.A. Tishkov . M .: Big Russian Encyclopedia , 1998.S. 429.
• Reshetov A. M. National minorities of the PRC. Tibeto-Burmese peoples. Pumi // Peoples of East Asia / Chap. ed. Cheboksarov N.N. M.-L .: Nauka, 1965. S. 524-525.
• Davies HR The Tribes of Yun-nan. Tibeto-Burman languages ​​// Yun-nan, the Link between India and the Yangtze. Cambridge, 1909. P.350-351.
• Zhang Weiwei, Zeng Qingnan Pumi Nationality // In Search of China's Minorities. Beijing: New World Press, 1993. P. 217-221.

• Page about cougars at Ethnologue.com
• Pumi people on the Abirus project (Russian)
• Pumi page on China's Official Gateway to News & Information