Riding the wind of rebirth

Chapter 1854 The Life of Yi People

"There is a small square space at the entrance of Aduo, with a roof to protect against rain. We call this small area 'Bird's Nest' because swallows like to build their nests here, hence the name. There are steps in front of the Bird's Nest, usually three or five steps, and an even number is not allowed, otherwise it would be unlucky."

"Behind Aduo, there is a room separated by wooden boards. There is no passage from Aduo or the second floor to enter. It can only be entered from the upper rooms on both sides. It is relatively closed and the innermost room. It is called 'Amoga'. Generally, valuable items in the family are placed there. If an elder among the direct blood relatives comes to the family and wants to stay overnight, they will be arranged to stay in this room. On the one hand, it shows that this family does not hide the elders, and on the other hand, it is convenient for the younger generations living in the upper rooms on both sides to take care of them at night."

"Because it is only separated from Aduo's shrine by a wooden wall, and this space is usually used to store supplies for ancestor worship, unclean shoes and socks, or worn clothes should not be stored in the Amoga."

Liang Guangping suddenly thought of a question: "What if a blood relative wants to stay at Amogha, but he is wearing dirty and ragged clothes? What should we do?"

"Hahahahaha..." Old Chi Ri burst into laughter at this question, and even choked on a puff of cigarette. He coughed for a long time before saying, "That means the children are disobedient, and the elders deliberately come to the house like this to embarrass the unfilial children. Not only will the neighbors point fingers at them, but I will also go to their house and let them have a word with me."

Everyone now understands that these customs, which seem to be only related to housing, are actually supported by a set of social ethics and do not exist in isolation. Therefore, the "contradiction" raised by Liang Guangping will not occur under normal circumstances. If it does occur, it will be a challenge to social ethics and public order and good customs, and will be condemned and sanctioned.

"So this Amoga is the core area of ​​the Yi people's house. When we go to someone else's house, don't go around everywhere out of curiosity, especially this one. Breaking in rashly will be regarded as a very impolite offense." Zhou Zhi reminded several people that this was the purpose of Lao Chi Ri's remarks.

Old Chi Ri nodded and said, "If it is a visiting relative from outside, no matter how old he is, he can only stay overnight at Ajie and Angmu's house."

"When you are in Aduo, facing Yanwo, the two houses on the left are called Ajie, and the two houses on the right are called Angmu."

"Whether it's Ajie or Angmu, they are divided into two rooms. We Yi people don't distinguish between inside and outside, but call them upper and lower. The inner room near Amoga is called the upper room, and the two rooms near the gate of Yanwo are called the lower room."

"The upper room is used for sleeping. The bed is placed against the walls on both sides, as far away from the two doors as possible. Young people usually choose a room with an anteroom for their wedding, whether it is the upper room or the lower room."

"Ajie's lower room, also known as 'cage fire', is used for heating, cooking and dining. The fire pit is called 'kudu' in our Yi language. There are square and round ones, set up against the outer wall."

"The inside of the ku belly is called 'gongai', which is the fire pit. There are three pot stakes next to the 'gongai'. There are troughs around it to store coal ash."

"Ajie's upper room is used to place rice jars and cupboards. The cupboards should be placed in a prominent position. If the room is large enough, you can also put a bed in it like in Angmu's upper room."

"Generally, the elderly in the family will sleep here. When guests come to visit in winter, they will be arranged to sleep in Kudu. If the guest is a female, she will be accompanied by a female elder in the family. If the guest is a male, he will be accompanied by a male elder."

"Then judging from the layout of the house, the main areas for Yi and Han family activities are quite different. When our relatives come to visit, they are mainly received in the main hall, while Yi families seem to prefer to receive visitors in the lower room of the Ajie?"

"Yes, Ajie is a very important place for us Yi people. Every Yi person is born in Ajie, gets married in Ajie, and dies in Ajie."

"Erbilji said, 'Born by a fire, raised by a fire, only with fire can you feel warm.' The room here is warm, and it is convenient to take care of food and use hot water. It is good for both mother and daughter as a delivery room."

"Yi people's marriage is called 'Qikao Futu'. Qikao means to take a daughter-in-law from one's own family, and Futu means to marry someone. The matchmaker is entrusted by the man's family to carry wine to the woman's family to propose a daughter-in-law. It must be done by the Ajie fire. Everyone thinks that it is 'warm in the heart, the matchmaker is happy, and everyone is happy'." "The girl of the host family is called 'the one who holds the torch'. The handle of the torch cannot be separated from the fire. Proposing a match by the fire means to find a 'one who holds the torch' for the man's family. It also means to say it to the future girl of the host family."

"Wine is very important to the Yi people, and Ajie is the best place to make wine. The Yi people will make wine in Ajie and then store it in the Angmuxia room."

"This is what Erbilji said, 'When doing it, you can't do without Ajie who has fire, and when putting it away, you can't do without Angmu who has water.' Together with Amogha who puts money and gold, it just forms a neat triangle."

The younger ones all thought it was interesting, and when combined with the earth and wood represented by the house itself, the five elements were complete.

"This dam outside is called An Di Ga. It is used to set up tables and entertain guests at weddings. It is usually used to store things and dry crops."

"Old people usually live in Ajie. When they are about to die, they will be helped to Kudu against the wall to die. After they die, they will be cleaned in Ajie, and clothes will be found in Angmu before being put in Aduo to wear funeral clothes. If the deceased is a man, he will be placed on the left side of Aduo, and if he is a woman, she will be placed on the right side. The life of the Yi people ends here."

Although Lao Chi Ri only introduced the Yi people's residence, Zhou Zhi felt that he had learned a lot. This was supported by the long-standing heritage of the nation.

It's a pity that my main occupation is still in the interpretation of Chinese characters, otherwise it would be nice to work in sociology or ethnology. China is truly a fertile ground for studying these subjects.

"Grandpa Chi Ri, thank you for telling me stories." Liu Hongtao also listened with great interest. Listening to Old Chi Ri talking about life and death in this ancient cemetery did not seem scary at all. Instead, it gave him a sense of religious sacredness: "Come and have some fruit."

Li Lu was shocked when she saw Liu Hongtao pulling out several large pomegranates from her bag like a magic trick: "How dare you steal Chief Liu's treasure!"

"What are you talking about? This is not a Moroccan soft-seeded pomegranate. Look carefully."

Li Lu grabbed one and looked at it carefully: "Oh, this is the green-skinned pomegranate produced in Huili, right? Just now I saw that it was so big that I thought it was a Moroccan soft-seeded pomegranate."

"Have you ever tasted the Moroccan soft-seeded pomegranate? What does it taste like?" Zhou Zhi took the pomegranate and opened it skillfully, first giving a piece to Lao Chi Ri, and then to the rest of the people.

Several people nodded, and then said that after the pomegranates began to bloom and bear fruit, Director Liu distributed some to everyone to taste, but each person only got about ten, and they could hardly remember what they tasted like.

However, I was deeply impressed by the soft pomegranate seeds that were chewable.

"Both pomegranates are quite big." Liang Guangping looked at the Huili pomegranate in his hand and said, "But the Moroccan pomegranate is more beautiful in color than this one. Both the peel and the flesh are bright red."

"The Huili pomegranate has another nickname called the Huili green-skinned pomegranate. In fact, the skin is not completely green, but a yellow-green color. I only buy the good-looking ones." Liu Hongtao said.