The Li people in Hainan Province
2 min readMost of the Li, an ethnic group south of the Nanling Mountains,1.24 million people in total, are found in the middle and southern parts of Hainan Province.
Their history in the Hainan Island can be traced back to over 3,000 years ago. Today, on the bodies of some aged women, we still see remains of a very ancient practice, tattoos in face, on chest, hands or legs. Some people call these tattoos”Dunhuang frescoes on human bodies.”
By custom, getting a tattoo marked the end of juvenile years and the beginning of adult life.
Teenage girls received a tattoo on an auspicious day, done by an experienced old woman. Besides the girl’s mother, there was a middle-aged woman present to provide assistance. The tools needed for tattooing were simple, just a vine needle,a small club and a bowl of dye.
There are different versions about the origin of this practice.A popular one ascribed the practice to their ancestors, believing that a woman without tattoos would be denied by ancestors after death, left as a homeless ghost in wildness.
Their tattoos vary from area to area and from clan to clan. Some women have complicated patterns in face, neck, body, arms and waist, while some preferred simple ones. Because the Li people haveno written language, these tattoos contain their history and cultural information, also serve as the totem of their clan or the mark of identity. However, due to the impact of contemporary life style and the change of values, tattooing as an ancient practice is disappearing among the Li women. The existent few are priceless cultural relics.
Besides tattoos, the Li people’s dances are very special, seen on wedding ceremonies, when building houses, on festivals and during a slack season. Among their dances, the best known is called “getting fortune dance,”a dance popular in Tongshi and Maoyang. March, July and October are auspicious”oxdays”to Li people. The Li ancestors believed that everything fell to two kinds, good and bad. The Ox Day is good, and dancing in March brings fortune to their livestock. Dancing in July is good for rice to grow, bringing a bumper harvest of all crops that year. Dancing in October brings people fortune, good health and peace. Besides, the bamboo stick dance is also popular, featuring local customs. On a festival, or after crops are harvested in, people will dance this form to the rhythms from thick bamboos clapped by squatting people. Dancers advance, retreat and leap vigorously to the rhythm among the bamboos. This unique form, characteristic of the Li culture, has developed into a very enjoyable local performance often joined by excited tourist.
