Semantically, cultural self-awareness is self-awareness of culture. This culture is both national and national, as well as hierarchical, regional, and even group and individual. In a general sense, cultural self-consciousness in a broad sense belongs to the national level. - Li Zonggui
Modern society is constantly evolving, and many modern technologies have replaced traditional methods. The use of modern technology has fundamentally changed the world. But there are also many things that science and technology cannot replace, they have become a spiritual force through generations of inheritance and development, supporting the development and growth of generations of people.
Nowadays, honey harvesting technology has been developed very conveniently, and people can reduce manpower consumption by artificially breeding bees and then using modern tools and technologies to collect honey. However, at the junction of China and Nepal, there is still an ancient honey picking technique---- cliff honey picking, and it is the "cliff honey picker" who carries out this work.
Since it is a traditional honey harvest, and it is on the cliffs, the risk factor can be imagined. But these "cliff honey pickers" still adhere to the tradition, take risks, and exchange their lives for honey at a height of 100 meters, but the five times the price is not sold, why are honey pickers so persistent.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the preciousness of "cliff" honey</h1>
According to historical records, as early as 13,000 years ago, humans have learned to supplement the body's ability to survive by collecting and eating honey. In other words, in the early days of human development, there was already the act of collecting honey. The "cliff honey" is recognized as the oldest way of honey picking in the world, and its development history is also very long, according to statistics, cliff honey pickers have a history of about 7,000 to 8,000 years.
Although the history is excellent, the scope of honey harvesting on the cliffs is very small, and currently only exists near the cliffs at the junction of China and Nepal. China and Nepal are separated by the Himalayas, which are the highest mountain ranges in the world and a natural barrier between China and Nepal, with harsh environments and complex and diverse terrain. It is precisely because of the unique environment that precious honey is bred.
The special geographical characteristics of the Himalayan plateau mountains make the related animals and plants have special properties, unique growth environment, promote the production of nutrients, in order to cultivate high-quality products, which is the unique feature of "cliff honey".
The bees that grow on the cliffs are the largest species in the honeybee family, known as the black bee, and because they grow near the Himalayas, they are also called Himalayan row bees. This kind of black bee, fierce, aggressive, with a high degree of resilience, in the plateau area has a strong adaptability, but also has the habit of seasonal migration, common group or more than ten groups, the scene is very spectacular.
Each group of large black honey can hunt bees about 20-40 kilograms a year, and the honey it produces is called "crazy honey", also known as snow mountain rock honey, which is a product with a spiritual substance, and when used in the right amount, it can produce a hallucinogenic effect similar to that of marijuana.
At the same time, black honey is taken from the nectar of flowers growing in the special environment of the Himalayas, and its medicinal value is huge, which can help the human body quickly replenish vitality and regulate immunity. Originally, this honey was only available to the Nepalese royal family.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > "100 meters hanging" honey picking</h1>
Due to the climate, the number of this large black bee is small, so the yield of highland nectar is relatively low, so this special honey can only be collected twice a year. In addition, after being threatened by natural conditions, because the black honey cannot avoid the damage of the wind, the black honey migrates as a whole, so the location of their hive is not fixed, and it is difficult to find, so it cannot often be collected.
Every spring and autumn is a good season for honey picking, before the honey picking, the entire honey collecting family or the entire tribe will send people out of the clan to find the location of the hive. After collecting the location of all the hives, the patriarch will be responsible for assigning tasks to decide who will go to collect honey and which place will pick the honey better.
Once you've set your honey picking goals, you'll start preparing your tools for honey picking. The two most important tools in cliff honey harvesting are rope and ebony. The production of ropes is mostly done by the women of the tribe. For a particular race, the production of honey ropes is a unique skill and craftsmanship, involving clan secrets, and even some areas have traditions that are not hers. Thus, in this region, the status of women is higher than that of the average honey picker.
The ebony wood is to soak the branches that fall after the heavy rain with oil, and then ignite the smoke that can produce huge smoke, and use these smokes to drive away the black honey on the cliff, and this drive process takes about two to three hours.
When the honey pickers light ebony wood to drive away the black honey, after about two hours or so, the black honey escapes almost, and then through the special rope from the top of the cliff, climb to the cliff between 50-500 meters above the ground, and then carry out honey collection work.
Depending on the size of the hive, it can be decided whether to collect in pairs or alone. Due to the abundant sunlight and good breeding environment, black honey will generally build the hive on the steep side, which also increases the difficulty of collection.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the opposite of "life"</h1>
Honey pickers are very dangerous in the process of collecting honey, and they risk their lives to collect in a low temperature environment. Because of the high risk factor of stepping on the cliff to collect honey, many people have fallen to their deaths after falling off a 100-meter cliff. This often happens during the honey harvesting process. Many young people in the village also chose to leave the mountain village in order to avoid collecting honey.
Today, although the price of snow honey has climbed to $3500 per kilogram, the process of making honey is very long. Honey that has just been picked cannot be eaten immediately. This nectar is decomposed by the large black honey and is prone to produce a toxin. This toxin has the effect of anesthesia, can relax the body, alleviate pain, the price is also 3-5 times the usual honey, but long-term use of this nectar is easy to poison.
Therefore, the honey after picking needs to be precipitated, and the toxins inside are decomposed through 6 to 9 months by adding a special local herb. In order to ensure the safety of people who eat, precipitated honey is generally sold, and it will not affect the business standards of honey pickers because of the high or low price.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > inheritance of culture</h1>
Although in the eyes of many people, this traditional cliff honey harvesting has a high risk factor and is difficult, they are still willing to continue to pass it on. This is the inheritance of the ancestral craftsmanship, the inheritance of this special culture, and the belief in the spirit of the clan. This natural gift of nature deserves more respect and support.
This kind of persistence is more from the cultural beliefs in the bones of the locals, no matter how difficult, no matter how painful, do not forget the road when you come, know how to chase far, do not forget the roots of people, and adhere to the spiritual strength passed down. Although human beings are now enjoying the convenience and development of modern technology, the topic of whether to continue to inherit the tradition is constantly controversial.
The essence of inheritance lies in whether the spirit of inheritance is carried forward. No matter how the times change, we should not forget the profound meaning of culture, which is our main task as future generations.
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