Lead
In the Lijiang region of Yunnan Province, China, there is a unique falconry tradition, an ancient falconry culture that is not only unique but also has a long history, dating back to the Song Dynasty and has been passed down for hundreds of years and can still be seen in the local area.
This falconry culture is really a "living fossil".
Locals call it "falconry" and make a living from it, but it is said that this falconry custom was not originally from Yunnan, but after the Mongols brought Mongolian falconry technology to Chinese mainland, after the passage of time, coupled with the spread of Mongols in the local area, finally let the Naxi people come into contact with falconry culture.
After receiving the inspiration of falconry culture, the Naxi people in Yunnan gradually improved and prospered, and gradually formed a set of Naxi falconry techniques in the Song Dynasty, and then slowly integrated into the customs and habits of the Naxi people, and gradually formed the unique falconry culture of the Naxi people today.
1. The origin of Naxi falconry.
If you want to talk about the falconry culture of the Naxi people, you have to talk about the Naxi people's "abandonment", that is, the meaning of the second and eleventh "killing", the Naxi people are also accustomed to leaving the left and right from the "Suo" and "Eh", from this point of view, in ancient times, the Naxi people used to have the same falconry technology as the Mongols.
According to a survey by scholars, the falconry skills of the Naxi people may not only have been introduced from the falconry culture of the Mongols, but also may have been learned from the ancestors of the Naxi people in ancient times.
The falconry technology of the Naxi people is very different from that of the Mongols, but traces of Mongolian culture and Naxi falconry techniques can be seen from the ornaments, so it can be speculated that the falconry techniques of the Naxi people may have come from the Mongols.
However, the local people of the Naxi people have their own unique views on the falconry culture of the Naxi people, and they believe that the falconry technology comes from the ancient ancestors of the Naxi people, although this statement comes from themselves, but it is not enough to be overthrown, so it is not discussed here.
However, at present, the local people of the Naxi people believe that the falconry culture of the Naxi people was brought into it by the Mongols, so the local falconry culture of the Naxi people has developed vigorously.
Since the Song Dynasty, the falconry culture of the Naxi people has been continuously propagating the traditional eagle claw technique, and gradually formed the falconry culture, which has been influenced until now.
Second, the link of falconry.
The falconry culture of the Naxi people includes five links: falconry, falconry, dog training, falconry and animal release.
The first is the falconry hunting link, the Naxi falconers have to look for the traces of the eagle in the forest or the mountains, and after finding the traces of the eagle, they begin to follow the eagle, and quietly throw the cloth bag on the eagle before the eagle does not see it, capture the eagle from the air, and then sew up the eagle's eyes.
In this process, the sewn cloth bag needs to be sewn with red thread to let people know who caught the eagle.
In the process of sewing the eagle's eyes, the falconer also needs to probe the eagle to see the color of the eagle's coat, because different eagles have different uses, so according to the species of eagle, it is necessary to "look at it twice".
Next is the falconry session, where Naxi falconers tie the eagle's feet to a wooden stick and sew up the eagle's eyes, while closing the eagle's beak and feeding the eagle.
In the process of feeding the eagle, the Naxi falconer will feed the eagle and train the eagle to get used to obeying people's instructions, so that while feeding the eagle, they also have to communicate with the eagle and explain the conditions under which it can get food, so that the eagle can "get used to" this life.
In the process of "falconry", the falconer also needs to drink water to the eagle, and in the same way, they will communicate with the eagle to let the eagle know that it can only get drinking water if it obeys orders.
The next step is the falconry, the falconer takes the eagle to the hill where the falconry is located, and then lets the eagle hunt, but in the process, people will shout at the hunter to attract them to hunt, so that people can hunt, but the falconer can't let them attract the eagle, so it is also a contest between the falconer and the eagle.
In addition, after the falconer is released, he also needs to release the eagle, that is, to bring the eagle to the natural environment after the release, release it, and let it thrive in the natural environment.
Three, three days and three nights without sleep, stay up eagle.
A very important part of falconry is to boil the eagle, that is, to sew up the eagle's eyelids, and then observe the eagle's survival habits in this state, so that the eagle can gradually get used to this environment.
But the process of boiling the eagle is not simple, just sewing the eagle's eyes together, when the eagle's eyes are sewn, the falconer has to train the eagle on the side, so that the eagle gradually gets used to this environment.
In the process of falconry in the Naxi people, boiling the eagle is a very important part, in order to make the eagle really obey the orders of people, it is necessary to make the eagle accustomed to obeying the orders of people, so in the process of falconry, the Naxi falconers have carried out a lot of training for the eagle.
In the process of falconry, falconers also need to communicate with the eagle with their hands, so that the eagle knows that they can only get food if they follow people's instructions, which is also to make the eagle accustomed to obeying people's instructions.
In the process of boiling the eagle, the falconer needs to stay up for a period of time, this time period is not fixed, some falconers need to stay up for three days and three nights, and some falconers need to stay up for a week, so the time for boiling the eagle is not fixed.
In the process of boiling the eagle, the falconer needs to take care of the eagle throughout the whole process, not only need to communicate with the eagle, but also feed the eagle at night, and at the same time feed the eagle water.
During this period of boiling the eagle, the falconer even holds a torch to the eagle during the day, so that the eagle gradually gets used to the life of the "blind", and the eagle gradually gets used to this way of life, only in this way can the falconer be able to go more smoothly in the future falconry process.
Through this process of boiling eagles, falconers can exercise the patience of raising eagles, so that the eagles can gradually become accustomed to human life, so that the process of letting the eagle hunt in the future can be carried out more smoothly.
epilogue
Nowadays, the falconry culture of the Naxi people is being valued and supported by the local people, and the state is constantly strengthening the protection and inheritance of the falconry culture.
Therefore, the falconry culture of the Naxi people has also been included in the list of intangible cultural heritage, and the protection and inheritance organizations of the Naxi falconry culture have been established in various places, so that the falconry culture of the Naxi people can continue to be inherited.