Why Do The Miao Apply The Image of Oxen To Their Silver Jewels?

Living in the remote mountainous areas of southwestern China, the Miao ethnic group like and respect oxen. To them, an ox is a lucky animal. They apply the image of oxen to their embroidery, batik, and silver jewels. In the 12-year animal cycles, the year of ox is considered the most prosperous year.

However in many other parts of China, a tiger year is considered a hopeful year. Why do the Miao prefer oxen? Here is a story:

A long, long time ago an ox and a tiger were neighbors in a mountain. They both had great strength. One day they wanted to have a fight to see who was the strongest. So they prepared themselves for seven days before the fight. Everyday the tiger was busy with wrapping his boy with canes layer upon layer, while the oxen rolled around in mud, and then sunned to have the mud getting dry.

Seven days later, a duel started. Running to the ox, the tiger tried to bite it with his sharp teeth. But how could he break the heavy layers of dried mud on the ox’s body? Finally the tiger had to give up. Then it’s the ox’s turn to make an attack. He used his long horn to break the canes on the tiger’s body in just a few minutes. And the horn almost hurt the tiger. The terrified tiger cried, ” No, no!”

Since then, oxen became an hero in Miao culture. People believe oxen can guard their life, and give them peace and safety. Thy decorate their gates with a small piece of horn-shaped wood. This way they can prevent any evil spirits from entering their home.

Various images of oxen are reflected in the art of batik, embroidery, and silver jewels. Some Miao women wear a huge, heaven, and glistening silver headdress in the shape of an ox horn, which is considered as the symbol of beauty and wealth; others adorn their hair with a big ox horn shaped wooden comb.

The image of oxen is even applied to music. A bullfight dance is popular with the Miao. The dancers follow the exciting music and imitate the movements used in bullfight, with a bamboo-made ox head in their hands.

The Miao even have a special holiday for oxen. On that day, oxen are fed with refined food, and bathed with clean water.

Dragon is always considered an auspicious animal in the Miao culture. People believe a special thing combined dragon with oxen together will surely bring them a prosperous life. So during the Dragon Boat Festival, they decorate their dragon boats with a pair of ox horn.

If you visit a Miao village, the local people will welcome you at the gate of their village with wine contained in a horn-shaped cup. The wine made of glutinous rice tastes a bit sweet. Women with their beautiful ethnic costumes and silver jewels look especially attractive.

C. Liu has been writing about sterling silver jewelry, for years. She occasionally supports the work of select Miao silversmiths. Go to her website to see great examples of fine silver jewelry.

A Funny Story About Song Thrush

The Four Seals Miao is a small tribe of the Miao minority group who inhabit the mountainous area of southwestern China. Although they don’t have silver jewelry like other Miao tribes, they attract tourists home and abroad with their unique and ethnic culture. They got their name Four Seals from women’s garments sporting four bright square designs embroidered on the front, back, and sleeves, which are exactly like four large seals.

Maige, a beautiful village, is their hometown. It boasts numbers of thrush that are noted for their intoxicating songs. Every morning you can hear the birds singing excitedly like a symphony in the forest. So the village got a nickname home of thrushes.

Lots of thrushes have brown or yellow plumage and lovely spotted breasts. But some thrushes are distinguished by their white or red plumage. These beautiful birds not only sing sweet songs, but imitate the sounds of other animals and birds. In the forest, you can always hear the sound of a goose, a hen, or a cat. These strange sounds are in fact created by a thrush.

Thrushes like to fight. In the mountains, they have their own territories. If one thrushs territory is invaded by another thrush, a fight will ensue.

Almost every Miao family raise thrushes at home. They put the birds into a cage, listening to the birds singing, and watching them fighting.

Thrush fighting competition is held from time to time. A thrush raised for one year with good care can be a great fighter, which can sell for a good price. Bird trade flourishes in the Miao area with businessmen from other areas in China and overseas coming to buy birds. In 2007, a thrush raised by a villager in Maige was sold to a man from Hong Kong at the price of RMB 280,000.

Artists get inspiration from the thrush, and have created lots of beautiful songs and dances about the bird.

Why do the local people enjoy raising thrushes? And why do thrushes always like to fight with each other? Here is a story:

A long time ago, an old couple lived peacefully in a village with their ten sons. When they grew up, all ten of them were married. With ten more women in the family, the peaceful life of the old couple was ruined. Everyday the women quarreled with one another, which ultimately destroyed the good relationships among the sons. After deciding to break up with the big family and live apart from one another, the sons divided the land and property given to them by the old couple, who chose to live with their youngest son and his wife.

Of the ten wives of their sons, nine were lazy and stupid. Only the one with the youngest son was smart and diligent. This diligent couple worked hard on their farmland, and began to live a prosperous life. Lazy and poor, all other sons and wives eventually had to start borrowing money from them. But the endless borrowing caused the young couple to run out all of their money and became impoverished themselves. To continue to live, the old couple had to go to the mountains to gather wild fruits for food.

One day when the old couple were in the mountain, an elderly man appeared and asked them why they had to eat wild fruits. And the couple told the man their sad story. After which he said, Just go back to your home, and you will have food.

When the old couple got home, they found many birds chirming around their house. Nine sons and their wives disappeared. Only the youngest couple were cooking in the kitchen.

The elderly man that they saw in the mountain was the Bodhisattva, who made their nine sons and daughters-in-law into eighteen thrushes.

Since then, the eighteen thrushes dwelled around the house, warbling and fighting everyday. Feeling sorry for these birds, the old couple made bird cages for them to stay. This is the reason why the Miao people like to raise thrushes at home.

Once in Maige, you will like this beautiful ethnic village and want to visit other Miao tribes to see their extraordinary silver jewelry.