The ethnic origin of Zaba's marriage

As for the history and origin of Zaba people, the whole field of human culture has not found enough written materials and archaeological proof, so little is known about the history and origin of Zaba people. In the past, there were two views on the origin of Zaba nationality: "Xixia adherents" and "Yi people". Among them, the theory of "Yi people" was put forward by Tibetan scholar Dr. Gele.

1882, British scholar Bakar put forward the hypothesis that Zaba dialect belongs to Xixia language family in his book Tourism and Investigation in Western China. In the 1930s, an Englishman, Wolfensohn, said that Zaba people were descendants of the Xixia Dynasty, which had long since disappeared. Some archaeologists have studied the most basic vocabulary and pronunciation of Zaba dialect and found that Zaba dialect is very similar to Xixia dialect.

Ren Xinjian, a researcher at Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, disagreed with some previous scholars' views on the origin of Zaba people. He believes that Zaba dialect has some obvious differences from Tibetan in grammatical components, and it is also close to Qiang language. Its vocabulary contains elements borrowed from other languages, but not many, so it is difficult to define it accurately. It is untenable to say that Zaba people are descendants of Tangut migration in Xixia. His reason is simple: Xixia is not a matriarchal society at all.

Ren Xinjian boldly put forward a brand-new point of view: Zaba people may be descendants of the "oriental daughter country" that disappeared in history. According to "Biography of the Old Tang Dynasty", the Kingdom of Dongnu rose in the Tang Dynasty and was later annexed by Tubo. Since then, it has never appeared in historical records. Professor Lin Junhua, who has long studied the culture of ethnic minorities in Kangqu, put forward the following arguments:

First of all, there are many striking similarities between Zaba culture and Dongnvguo culture. According to the "Old Tang Biography", "the country of the East Woman is a different kind of Xiqiang ... the vulgar woman is king". These records show that the Oriental Daughter Country is a female-centered society. Zaba is also a typical female-centered society.

Second, according to the Book of the Old Tang Dynasty, the costumes of Dongnvguo are still black; "Everyone lives in a lift room, from the ninth floor to the sixth floor"; "Cross the river with a piece of cowhide." The houses of Zaba people are basically five or six-storey towers. In terms of clothing, the traditional clothing of Zaba people is a black wool skirt woven by themselves, which is very similar to the clothing of the Eastern Women's Country. Crossing the river with cowhide boats is also common in Zaba and its adjacent areas.

Third, the geographical location of Zaba people is consistent with the geographical scope of Dongnvguo. According to Biography of the New Tang Dynasty, the range of activities of Dongnu Kingdom can be roughly defined as the upper reaches of Dadu River and the middle and lower reaches of Yalong River, which is completely consistent with the geographical location of Zaba people.

Are the Zaba people really descendants of the "East Woman Country"? No matter how different opinions are expressed in academic circles, Zaba is a string of humanistic symbols with many unsolved mysteries. Danshui River flows into the distance day and night. Facing the fleeting water, who are the ancestors of Zaba people, where did they come from and when did they secretly take root in these mountains? No one knows all the mysteries of time change, and perhaps it will never be known to the world.

Why can "fossils" survive?

In the eyes of many cultural anthropologists, Zaba is "the second matriarchal social region in the world" and a precious "living fossil of human social evolution". In the face of the rapid development of the outside world, why can Zaba, a fossil, survive so far?

As can be seen from the satellite map, Zaba's "Wedding Grand Canyon" is located in the "matriarchal culture" zone of Hengduan Mountains, that is, the Yalong River-Dadu River Grand Canyon area, specifically Jinchuan, Danba, Yajiang to Dawu (Zaba), Muli and Lugu Lake. This is a typical mountain canyon terrain, with high and steep terrain, continuous mountains and deep canyons, and many places are completely unsuitable for human passage.

It can be seen that the geographical environment of natural barrier is an important factor contributing to Zaba's long-term isolation from the world. The traffic here is blocked, and there was no electricity in 2004. It is precisely because of this closure that Zaba's unique original ecological culture has been preserved to this day. Professor Wan Jianzhong, an expert in folklore at Beijing Normal University, believes that matrilineal clan is a social stage that human beings must go through when their productive forces are underdeveloped. With the development of human productivity, matriarchal society is gradually replaced by paternal society. But in some underdeveloped areas, this matriarchal society may be preserved because it is almost isolated from the outside world.

Ci Zhu, principal of Zaba Central Primary School, said: "The reason for local marriage is to prevent property from flowing out." He believes that in this poor and closed canyon area, it is impossible for a family to be divided indefinitely because of the small area of cultivated land. Getting married without formal marriage can prevent the outflow of family property. If a family has three children married and have children, it is bound to rebuild the family, build a new tower and buy daily necessities, which the local people can't afford. Ci Zhu also said that the phenomenon of divorce is not only related to environmental poverty, but also to the respect for mothers in this area and the preservation of some matriarchal clan traditions. Therefore, a man can't take her home even if there are countless women outside.

In fact, similar motives are also common in the "matriarchal cultural belt" in Hengduan Mountain area. Deng Liangting, a famous Tibetan scholar, believes that going out to get married is actually pure, because it eliminates the "original sin" in modern marriage-material and interests. Tie a dam to get married is the best way to save resources and create wealth. They maintain a big family, avoid redundant construction, separate premises and effectively control population growth.