What do you mean by shawl and wrapper?

"Wearing stars and wearing moon" or "Seven-star shawl" refers to the sheepskin shawl of Naxi women. It is usually made of a whole piece of black sheepskin, with a 6 cm wide black woolen edge sewn on the upper part. Two discs are embroidered with silk thread on both shoulders, representing the sun and moon. Below there is a row of seven small disks representing stars. The entire shawl is fixed across the chest with wide white cloth straps.

In addition to Naxi women, other ethnic minorities also have various shawls. In the Yi ethnic area in western Yunnan, women like to wear a unique kind of clothing - "huo", which has a similar function to "wearing stars and wearing moon": when carrying heavy objects in large bamboo baskets to climb mountains, it can avoid the hard and heavy backpacks from straining the waist. It can prevent injuries; even when you are not carrying heavy objects, the wrap can also be used to keep warm and protect the waist; it can also be used as a seat cushion when going out to work and rest. The Yi people's wrap is different from the Naxi sheep shawl in that it is smaller in size, generally about 25 cm in diameter and 1 cm thick, and is not made of a whole sheepskin, but a round piece of wool felt. There are two embroidered laces nearly 2 meters long nailed to the robe. The laces cross from the chest and put the "buku robe" behind the back, covering the waist and buttocks. In terms of style and practice, there are two kinds of kurtala: one is traditional, not covered with cloth, but with two patterns resembling a halo of bronze drums embroidered on the white wool felt surface, as well as two horizontal rectangular patterns. . The pattern is usually black with a little red, yellow and other colors in the middle, with a simple and rough style. The other is covered with black cloth and embroidered with various exquisite and beautiful patterns. When worn on the body, the kerchief can complement the colorful clothing, thus forming a major feature of the Yi women's clothing in western Yunnan.

There is a beautiful legend about the decoration on the robe. It is said that a long time ago, during the war, several Yi girls who were chased by officers and soldiers hid in Qinghua Cave in the east of Dali. When the girls were panicking, several spiders appeared in the cave and formed a web full of webs at the entrance of the cave. When the pursuers arrived to search, they saw that the entrance of the cave was full of spider webs. They concluded that no one was in the cave and hurriedly went elsewhere. After the girls escaped from danger, in order to thank the spider for saving their lives, they embroidered the spider on the felt. This is the pattern of two circles with a circle of sharp corners. There is another saying that the two circular patterns are two big open eyes, wearing a robe, which is equivalent to adding two open eyes behind the back, which can scare away the monsters and not dare to approach.

The Monba women living in the Menyu area and Medog County of Tibet have the custom of wearing a complete piece of calfskin or goatskin behind their robes. Girls usually wear lambskin with a sheep's tail and four legs, and when they become adults, they wear calfskin or goatskin. Even at a wedding, a well-dressed bride must wear a good sheepskin. According to legend, when Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (? - 680) entered Tibet, she wore an animal skin to ward off evil spirits. When she passed by Menyu, she gave the skin to the Menba women. This is obviously a legend about ethnic friendship and exchanges. The lambskin and calfskin draped on the back have two main uses. First, the climate in the Menyu area is cold and humid, so wearing a piece of leather can keep warm, moisture-proof, and protect against wind and rain; secondly, the hillsides in the residential area are steep and the roads are narrow, making it difficult to carry. It is better to carry heavy objects on your back than to carry them. Sheepskin has the same function as the Naxi people's Phi Xing Dai Yue and the Yi people's wrappers.

Both men and women of the Yi ethnic group in the Liangshan Mountains of Sichuan and Yunnan wear "charwa". Tsarwa is very large, equivalent to a large cloak, made of linen and wool. It has a wide range of uses. There is a saying that "the day is a garment, the rain is a coir, and the night is a quilt". Older people generally wear black and blue charwars, while young people like to use contrasting and bright colors such as red, yellow, green, orange, and pink. Because the upper end is tied around the shoulders and neck, the front is open, and the lower end has tassels, it makes men look mighty and majestic when wearing it. Coupled with the "hero knot" wrapped around the head, it has a unique and heroic atmosphere; women wear colorful The gorgeous Tsarwa, paired with a flowered turban on the head and two cross braids, add a bit of beauty to the dignified and simple look.

The Qiang people's sheepskin vests are open in front and not tied with buttons. Although they are not shawls, they are basically draped. The sheepskin waistcoat of the Qiang people is the national iconic costume. Both men and women, old and young, even babies who have just learned to walk, wear a "cutting-edge" leather waistcoat. The leather waistcoat has no surface, and is made of smooth leather outside. The edges are sewn with patterns, or just use threads to sew neatly arranged large stitches. "Outward" means that the inner fur is exposed outside the edges for a long time, including the shoulders, front and hem. The Qiang people call themselves "leather coats". When wearing it, the fur should be turned inward on sunny days and outward on rainy days. This is to allow rainwater to flow down the fur. Like the "Charwa" of the Yi people, it can also play the role of a raincoat. The Qiang people also have a kind of coat made of brown and black wool, which is about 1.5 meters long and has a thick texture. Like a leather waistcoat, it can protect you from cold and rain. If necessary, it can also be used as a seat cushion or cover. You can use it to protect your shoulders and back when carrying heavy objects.

The most elegant and solemn thing when draped is the striped linen blanket of the Dulong people. The native people call it "Yoduo", and the foreigners are accustomed to call it "Dulong blanket". Since Dulong people, men, women, old and young all wear this linen blanket, it has become the most distinctive clothing. The method of draping the Dulong blanket looks similar at first glance. It is draped diagonally on one shoulder, exposing the other shoulder, usually the left shoulder. But if you break it down, there are also considerations. Men wear a linen blanket diagonally across their backs, from the left armpit to the right shoulder, and tie it towards the chest.

Women wear two square rugs, draped diagonally from shoulders to knees, with the left and right sides covering the front. The one covering from left to right has a rope tightly tied around the waist to cover the front and back. The one covering the front and back covers from right to left. It is easier to put on and take off.

Because the stripes of the Dulong blanket vary from wide to narrow, with coordinated matching and simple colors, people from other neighboring ethnic groups also like to buy them for wear. However, when others wear Dulong blankets, they always seem to lack the unique original charm of Dulong people. Dulong people, both men and women, have eyebrow-length hair hanging down on their foreheads, and the hair on the back is draped straight over their shoulders, covering the tips of their ears on the left and right sides. They have large, round earrings hanging on their ears, or bamboos pierced in the ear holes. In the past, Dulong women often had facial tattoos, and they had to mix the ash from the bottom of a pot into black juice and soak it in the tattooed faces.

Most of the clothes draped over the shoulders are ornaments that have gradually evolved from production labor or daily use, and they still retain the dual functions of decoration and practicality. Compared with neatly dressed clothes, they are It often appears more casual and primitive, full of the simplicity and prowess that nature bestows on humans. This is probably the style of the mountains and forests that modern clothing has lost.