Biasha: Living Fossil of Miao Ethnic Culture
Updated: 2007-06-28 08:37
Scattered along the hills, the stilted wooden houses in Biasha also reflect the primitive style of the village. Fir trees are used to construct the stilted houses. The roofs are made of bark and the rest is made of tree trunks. The Biasha do not have beds, instead, they sleep on the floors. Some elders still keep with the traditional habit of sleeping sitting up. The oldest house in Biasha has been standing for more than 250 years.
'Biasha' means 'flourishing forests' in the Miao language. The Miao believe the buns on their heads represent trees, while the purple clothes they wear represent bark. The Biasha worship trees, especially maples, as gods. Cutting down ancient trees is forbidden in the village. Anyone does so will be penalized 60 kg rice, pork and wine by fellow villagers. The only exception took place in 1976, when the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao was being built in Beijing. Out of respect to Chairman Mao, the Biasha cut down an old camphor tree with a diameter of 1.2 meters and sent it to Beijing, where it was used to build a remembrance pavilion.
When a baby is born in Biasha village, his family will plant a birth tree, which grows as the child is raised. Parents often take good care of the tree, as they believe it represents the fate of their child. It is considered inauspicious if anything happens to the tree. When a person dies, his birth tree will be cut and made into his coffin. During his funeral, another tree will be planted where he is buried, and his clothes and shoes will be hung on its branches.
Biasha people also worship the sun. When people perform the Lusheng (named after a Miao musical instrument) dance, they face east and step back seven paces before starting to dance.
Youths in the Biasha village are free to pursue love and romance. They work in the fields during the day, and get together at night, singing and drinking. It is a custom for boys to hold girls in their arms, even several girls at a time. It is embarrassing for a girl not to be hugged, which can mean that people think she is ugly.
