Mythologies of the Basha Tribe

LAST GUNMEN OF CHINA

The Basha tribe belongs to the Miao ethnic minority group. The remoteness and isolation the village has faced for centuries has developed a closeness within the memebers of the tribe, allowing the preservation of local costumes, traditions, and lifestyle, which are truly unique and peculiar when compared to other tribes. What immediately stands for the Basha tribe are their distinctive hairstyles and traditional garments. The hairstyle is an important feature, especially for men. During childhood, girls and boys grow their hair, but at the age of 16 every boy must perform a coming of age ritual that where the sides of his scalp is shaved with a sickle without the use of any shaving cream or water. The top part of his hair is kept long and tied into a bun. The traditional clothes are another defining feature of the Basha tribe. Villagers use to dye and sew their own garments, using the Liàng bù (亮布) fabric, a special textile of the Ethnic Minorities of Guizhou Province. The Liàng bù is usually made by dyeing the fabric in a natural indigo color over 40 times, before beating it with a hammer. Sometimes other ingredients are added to the dye, such as pig blood or raw egg whites to give the cloth a glossy, shiny look and make it water-proof. Liàng bù literally means ‘gloss cloth.’ The traditional outfit also includes a rifle, carried in the past for hunting and personal defense. The Basha people are the last “real gun men” of China, as carrying a gun is allowed by the government because it is recognized as part of their traditional costumes. Nowadays, the Basha still fire their guns, but mostly just as a way to welcome visitors to their village. Another uniqueness of the Basha tribe is their practice of worshipping trees. Trees are in fact considered sacred and cutting ancient trees is forbidden around the village. The Basha have a particular custom of planting trees when a baby is born, which will be used to make a coffin at the end of his life.

Basha men, valuing strength and prowess, don a traditional ensemble comprising handwoven collarless shirts, copper-buttoned blue cloth jackets, straight-cut trousers, and blue cloth leggings. They accessorize with a waist knife and carry rifles on their shoulders, reflecting their emphasis on hunting and fishing in the mountains and rivers. Their physical strength is evident in their adept hunting and farming skills, and they take pride in distinctive markers of their attire and physique. The most significant gender marker is the unique hairstyle – the “hugun” in the local Miao language. Men shave off most of the hair around their heads, leaving only a central coiled bun, maintaining this hairstyle throughout their lives. A pivotal tradition in Basha is the coming-of-age ceremony, which every boy undergoes between the ages of 7 and 15. On this day, the young men invite peers to join them in activities such as bird hunting, catching mud loaches in the fields, and fishing in mountain streams. The more successful they are in these endeavors, the more it signifies their potential and promising future. Following the outdoor activities, the young men gather at their homes to drink and feast on the catch. The ceremony concludes with the family’s appointed ritualist, the “guishi,” shaving the young man’s head and styling the “hugun.” This signifies the transition to an independent stage of life, marked by carrying a rifle crafted by his father.

The term "Basha people" usually refers to the Basha Miao (also known as Biasha), a subgroup of the Miao ethnic group living in Guizhou province, China. They are world-renowned as "China's last armed tribe." Basha men have special government permission to carry traditional rifles, as it is considered a vital part of their cultural identity and traditional dress. They have a deep connection with nature. When a baby is born, a tree is planted; when that person dies, the tree is cut down to make their coffin, and a new sapling is planted over the grave. Adult men wear a distinctive hairstyle called hu gun, where the head is shaved with a sickle except for a topknot, symbolizing maturity. They wear clothes dyed with natural indigo and treated with egg whites or pig’s blood to give the fabric a shiny, waterproof finish.

Basha is a very special and old Miao Ethnic village and is virtually untouched in any way by modernization. Basha residents still live in their wooden houses, practice centuries-old customs, and have their own unique beliefs. The village is perched on a hill, 5 kilometers from Congjiang. Legends say that Basha's ancestors immigrated from heartland China to this isolated mountainous region over 2,000 years ago. The village has a multitude of Diaojiaolou (a traditional Miao structure built on wooden stakes). When seen from afar, the village consists of layer upon layer of moss-covered bark roofs. Scattered around the villages' open spaces and the hillside is another wooden structure commonly called "rafts". They are used to dry un-husked rice. There are over 1, 000 residents and more than 400 households living in the Basha Village. The ancestors of Miao were frontline troops to charge the forests and fought with the bears on the mountain -- all to guard the land where they lived. They have been guarding protecting their homeland for hundreds of years. Still today the men in Basha preserve their musketeer heritage, which makes Basha the only tribe that can carry real guns legally in China. A strong sense of precaution inherited from their ancestors keeps this village isolated from the outside world. The villagers lead a self-sufficient life in the hilly areas and retain the dressing and living customs hundreds of years ago. Visitors to Basha frequently are greeted outside the village in the traditional manner by a group of the Basha men carrying weapons of long rifles. Please don't be frightened!! They are the locals practicing a traditional welcoming ceremony. Around the Basha Village, there are many large tall trees. Like many other tribes, Basha people see the trees as their sacred totem while the others take an animal or material as their totem. On important occasions or some traditional festivals, villagers usually burn incense under big ancient trees to pray for health and happiness. A tree is planted when there is a baby is born. Often it will be cut down to make a coffin for burial purposes when that person eventually dies. People in Basha villagers worship trees as gods, especially maples. They believe the buns on their heads represent trees, while the purple clothes they wear represent barks. The color of their clothes is a special bluish purple. Biasha people usually add egg whites into the indigo when dying the coarse cloth, making it shiny and waterproof. In Basha, a tree is planted whenever a baby is born. Often it will be cut down to make the coffin when the person eventually dies. Cutting down ancient trees is forbidden in the village.