Well-known as the modern matriarchal community, the Moso is an ethnic group of China which has not been recognized by the central government. The population of Moso is about 50,000 in total. They mainly inhabit the northwestern Yunnan and the southwestern Sichuan, such as Lijiang Prefecture and Liangshan Prefecture. The natives speak their own language which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan Family of Languages. They have not created a writing system for the language. The Moso Group is unique in the world for its marriage custom which is known as the walking marriage.
The History of Moso
According to the historical records, the ancestry of Moso was one of the ancient Qiang tribes which was called the “Qiong”. They originally lived on the Qinghai-Tibet High Plateau. During the Warring States Period(475 B.C.-221 B.C.), the ancestors of Moso migrated southwards. In the Han Dynasty(202 B.C.-220 B.C.), they were called the Maoniu Qiang or Moxi. The Maoniu Qiang was the common ancestry of both the Moso and the Naxi. The Moso people have resided in Lijiang Prefecture and Liangshan Prefecture for almost 1,500 years.
The Moso’s Folk Customs
The Moso people practise the Daba Religion. Daba means wizard in English. It has the same origin with the Na-khi’s Dongba Religion. However, the former is not as well-developed as the latter. The Daba Religion is a kind of animism without temples and scriptures.
The Moso people are excellent singers and dancers. The Jacuo Dance is popular among the Moso and the Na-khi. It is also known as the Hulusheng Dance or the Bamboo Flute Dance. Hulusheng is a kind of musical instrument. It is made of gourd and bamboo. The local bands provide music for the dance with the Hulusheng, bamboo flutes, drums and gongs.
Both girls and boys only wear a long gown, a waistband and a pair of underpants. When they have reached 13 years of age, they are allowed to have a pair of trousers or a pleated skirt on. The favourite colors of women are red, blue and purple. They like to wear gold or silver ornaments.
The Moso Group is absolutely unique in the modern world for its special marriage custom which is called the Walking Marriage by local people. The husband and the wife do not live together. The children are raised by the mother and her brothers. Undoubtedly, the child knows who his father is, and the marriage partners are faithful to each other.
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Author: Tina Luo
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