Why do the Miao people make so many silver jewelry?

The Miao people worship silver jewelry so much, but the Guizhou area where they live is not a silver-producing area. So where did such a large amount of silver come from?

More than 200 Miao families living in Kongbai Village migrated from Rongjiang River more than 400 years ago. Frequent commercial trade gave the Miao people the raw materials for making silver.

The Miao people migrate all year round and are wandering, so they like to carry all their wealth with them and take it with them when they leave; they use money as decoration to preserve the value of their property. This may be the direct reason why the Miao people like silver.

In addition, there is another very important point, which is the functional role of silver jewelry. Yang Wenbin told us that the silver jewelry of the Miao people can ward off evil spirits, remove poisons, and prevent plague.

There is a big maple tree in the village. The locals told us this is the Baozhai tree. It is said in the ancient Miao song that a butterfly comes out of a liquidambar tree, falls in love with a bubble, and lays twelve eggs. It took twelve years for the hatching eggs to hatch out, including Jiang Yang, the ancestor of the Miao people, cows, centipedes, etc., so it is a sacred tree worshiped by the Miao people. Legend has it that Mother Butterfly is the most common ancestor of the Miao people.

A Miao old man keeps a set of the earliest silver headdresses in Xijiang. The butterfly jade hook on it is the best witness.

We also see butterfly patterns on today's Miao batik. The Miao people believe that "Mother Butterfly" is the common ancestor of all Miao people. If there were words, the Miao people's deep feelings would surely be compiled into an epic poem. But the Miao people, like all ethnic groups without writing, can only pour their memories into white silver ornaments.