China's last gun-toting tribe

Some 2,500 residents of Basha Miao ethnic village in southwest China continue to preserve the traditional way of life passed down from generation to generation for more than 2,000 years.[Photo/chinanews.com]

Basha men wear black upper outer garments with brass buttons, and black trousers with broad legs. The loose clothes are comfortable and convenient in hunting and fishing. Basha women wear loose upper clothes, and pleated skirts. They wrap their legs with cloth delicately embroidered with old fancy patterns. They wear big, garish silver bracelets on important days.

Basha people express their love through songs. The males help the females take care of the small patches of farmland, and they organize parties at night. The women feel proud if they are popular among the males, especially when some of their pursuers come from the other villages. In many cases, males are shier than females in Basha.

Basha people live in stilt houses built on mountain slopes with wood and tiles. The gap between the floor and the ground prevents the mountain damp from entering the room from below, and is an effective protection against wild animals.

Basha villagers still maintain old customs of worshipping ancient trees. In the village, every family plants a patch of trees when a baby is born in the family. The trees grow together with the child. After he or she dies, the family cut down a tree to make a coffin, and plant a new tree on his or her tomb, representing the continuation of life.

The Basha have many old trees. Worshipping these trees means paying respect to ancestors and tribal history. The tribal chef said it is a good way to maintain discipline and order in the community.

July 13th and 14th under the lunar calendar is Chixin Festival of Basha, when the villagers prepare sacrifices to their ancestors. Besides, there are the Miao New Year, Yingshanhong Festival, Lusheng Festival and Ghost Festival in Basha during the year. Basha people are good at making daily necessities from wood, bamboo and animal bones, and are proud of their self-sufficient life.