Shui is one of the 56 ethnic groups in China, mainly distributed in Sandu Shui Autonomous County in Guizhou Province, and Libo, Dushan, Duyun, Rongjiang and Congjiang counties in Guizhou, as well as Rong'an, Nandan, Huanjiang and Hechi counties in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with a population of about 4120,000 people (2010 statistics), the aqua tribe is also distributed in Vietnam, but it is classified as the Ba Tien tribe.
The Shui people call themselves "睢 (suǐ)" which means "descendants of water" or "descendants of water", indicating that they have a close relationship with water. The Shui language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family of the Zhuang Dong language family Dong Shui (Dong Tai) language branch, the ancient writing system of the Shui tribe retains the characteristics of pictorial writing, pictographs and abstract characters.
The water tribe also has its own calendar, the water calendar, with the ninth lunar month as the beginning of the year, the eighth month of the lunar calendar as the end of the year, and the twelve earthly branches to record the day. The Shui tribe is a people who believe in a primitive religion of multiple gods and animism, worship nature and ancestors, and have a rich tradition of sacrificial activities and witchcraft.
Regarding the ** of the water tribe, there are the descendants of the Yin people, the source of Baiyue (Liangguang), the Jiangxi migration, the Jiangnan migration and so on. According to research and analysis, the aquarium can be regarded as a branch of the Luoyue people in the Lingnan Baiyue. The annals of the Ming Dynasty already have the name of the water tribe. In DNA sequencing research, it was found that the ancestors of the Shui tribe came from northern China and were related to the ethnic groups in the northwest region.
The history of the Shui tribe can be traced back to the pre-Qin period, and they once established their own regimes, such as the ancient Yelang Kingdom, the Qike Kingdom, etc. In history, the Shui people have had many wars, migrations, integrations and exchanges with the Han, Miao, Dong, Zhuang and other ethnic groups, forming their own unique national characteristics. It is a predominantly agricultural nation, mainly cultivating rice, but also growing corn, sweet potatoes, wheat and other crops.
Aquatic people like to eat meats such as fish, duck, chicken, and pork, and also like to eat condiments such as sauerkraut, hot and sour, and soy sauce. The "Jiuqian Liquor" brewed by the Shui people is their traditional wine, which is fermented with glutinous rice, sorghum, corn and other grains, and the wine has a mellow taste and golden color. The traditional food of the Shui people also includes "fish wrapped in leeks", "sour soup fish", "hot and sour noodles", etc., which are the specialties of the Shui people, rich in local flavor.
The traditional building of the Shui people is a dry fence type, mostly built of cedar and pine wood, and the roof is covered with cedar bark or tiles, which is divided into two floors, with livestock raised in captivity downstairs and people living upstairs. Most of the Shui people live in mountainous areas, and they are good at using the terrain to build water wheels, water mills, water hammers and other water conservancy facilities to play the role of water. The villages of the Shui people are mostly built by the river or beside the stream, there are stone roads connecting the villages, there are fish ponds, gardens, ancestral halls, etc. in the villages, the environment is beautiful, the scenery is picturesque.
The Shui people worship navy blue and black, men cover their heads with green cloth, and women wear green cloth trousers. Women like to wear bibs with quinoa patterns, and the edges of their clothes and pants are also decorated with lace. The women of the Aqua tribe are good at making an embroidery called [reverse knot], which is embroidered with a white horsetail wrapped with white silk thread into various exquisite patterns, "reverse knot" refers to the strap embroidered by the shuttle knot method, this kind of strap is made of dozens of patterns of different shapes, which is very labor-intensive, but extremely exquisite.
There is also an embroidery boutique of the aquarium called Zhegou, which is a kind of embroidered shoes with a double warped tip. The "Shuijia cloth" (i.e., Jiuqian green cloth) woven by the women of the aquarium is fine and uniform, and the unique soybean milk painting printing and dyeing technology has a history of more than 700 years, and the dyed green, blue and green are deep and washable.
The Shui people are a people who love to sing and dance, and they have a rich and colorful singing and dancing art. The traditional songs and dances of the Shui tribe include "Water Inspiration", "Water Lantern", "Water Dragon Dance", "Buffalo Dance", etc., which are all ways for the Shui people to express their emotions during festivals or celebrations. The traditional musical instruments of the water tribe include "water drum", "water sheng", "water qin", "water flute", etc., all of which are made of bamboo or wood, and the sound is crisp and pleasant. The traditional ** of the water tribe has "water tune", "water song", "water song", etc., which are sung by the water people in their own language or syllables, which is full of rhythm and rhythm.
The Aqua is a people with unique customs and Xi, and they have their own festivals. The traditional festivals of the Shui tribe include the "Water Festival", "Water Krathong Festival", "Buffalo Festival", etc., which are all days for the Shui people to worship their ancestors, pray for a good harvest, and celebrate reunion. The traditional etiquette of the Shui tribe includes "water wine ceremony", "water tea ceremony", "water rice ceremony", etc., which are all ways for the water tribe people to show respect, welcome and friendliness. The traditional marriage customs of the Shui tribe include "water marriage", "water marriage", "water marriage", etc., all of which are carried out by the Shui people according to their own Xi and rules.
The Shui people are a people with a long history and unique culture, and they have a close connection with water, living on water, taking water as a god, and taking water as a pleasure. The lifestyle, ideology, artistic expression, and religious beliefs of the Shui people all reflect the influence of water. The worship of water by the Aqua people also reflects their respect for nature.