Revista de Etnografie şi Folclor, 2021 (Serie nouă, nr. 1-2)

2021 / nr. 1-2

140 Jing Yan, Mengyao Sun durable. Furthermore, because hemp fiber absorbs and releases moisture, and has good air permeability, it is ideal for the humid climate and hot summers of the mountain and forest environment of the She people’s living areas. The She people maintain the proverb: “Eat salty, and wear blue.” Having lived for many centuries in hilly areas with beautiful mountains and rivers, their costumes are usually black, or blue and black. The She’s understanding of the concept of the environment is one of “people and nature living in harmony and all things can be used by us.” The She people do not consider the environment as separate from themselves or as something to reform and conquer, but as part of their lives. They are very familiar with the natural world that surrounds them and utilize natural resources sustainably. The grandest festival of the She celebrated on March 3, the Wufan Festival (Black Rice Festival), commemorates the legendary hero Lei Wanxing, who according to legend, gained strength after eating rice soaked in the magic leaves of the mountains. On March 3 every year, people climb the mountain to pick the leaves of the Chinese tallow tree to make Wufan. The traditional costumes of the She also reflect the people’s understanding of nature and use of natural resources. According to the Nanman (literally, barbarian in the south) Biography, Book of the Later Han Dynasty,7 the She’s ancestors were used to “weaving wood veneers and dyeing them with fruits.”8 In the history of the She people, they were once called “Jingke” (Jing people) (Lan, 2003) and renowned for their technique of producing the dye Dian Qing, also called “Jing” in the Ming Dynasty. The dye is blue, and most of the She’s clothes and religious costumes were dyed this color, which is closely related to their excellent technique. Including this blue, the traditional dyes used by the She were generally plant dyes, although food dyes were also occasionally used for costumes. For example, in the area of Jingning, the fruit of the gardenia is called “yellow seed.” Today, it is used to dye “yellow rice root” (a local rice cake with yellow skin). According to the local people, the yellow seed was also used to dye clothes and ribbon thread, and wolfberry was used to create the color red. Moso bamboo is seen everywhere in the She community. It is burned to create the “burnt ash” called “Jian” by the people and is used for dyeing. The Chinese character Ш means “fire farming, burning grass and trees in the field, and using farm ash as fertilizer for farming.” The She, with a mentality of “as it should be,” accept and use the gift of nature. They measure and take only as 7 The Later Han Dynasty is a biographical history book compiled by Ye Fan, a historian during the Southern Song Dynasty. The book mainly records the history of the Eastern Han Dynasty from the first year of Emperor Guangwu’s reign (AD 25) to the 25th year of Emperor Xian’s reign (AD 220), a total of 195 years. 8 (Original) text:

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