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Daur migrated and had dynasty
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DAUR people living in the northern part of China for thousands of years are a group of pioneers whose ancestors established a dynasty in China.
With a population of 131,992, the Daur ethnic group today mainly reside in Molidawa Daur Autonomous Banner and Ewenki Autonomous Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Some also live in the Meilisi Daur area of the city of Qiqihar in Heilongjiang Province.
The name Daur means “pioneer,” which in some way illustrates the group’s migrating history. The Daur originally dwelled in valleys between the Stanovoy Range and the Amur River. In the middle of 17th century, they gradually moved to the Nen River valley, Hulun Buir, Aihui town in Heilongjiang Province and even far west to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The first Daur self-governed area, Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous County, was established in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Today, the majority of Daur live in autonomous counties in Inner Mongolia. Some also have settled in Tacheng of Xinjiang.
According to legends and analysis of cultural comparison, most historians believe that Daur people are descendants of Khitan, a nomadic people originally from Mongolia and Manchuria from the 4th century. Some DNA tests seem to support this hypothesis.
Daur people have their own oral language. It consists of four dialects, which share the same or similar characteristics of grammar and vocabulary with other Mongolic languages. Since there is no official written script, the Daur mainly use Mandarin Chinese for daily life. Some have acquired Mongol, Kazak and Uygur languages.
The Daur had a written language of their own, named Khitan, in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), but it slowly died out with limited use. Aola Changxing, the famous Daur poet in the middle of 19th century, set up a writing system in Manchu script and in 1920, Guo Daofu, a Daur educator, created Daur words with Latin letters.
Dating back to the Khitan era, the Daur already led an advanced development in science and technology, especially in phenology, astronomy, a calendar and medicine. As recorded in “Liaodai Shihua” (The History of Liao Dynasty), the Khitan algorithm mentioned in ancient Arabian books was originally invented by Daur and spread to Europe in the early 11th century.
The ancient Daur were able to distinguish poisonous plants and fruits from edible ones, and they were familiar with animal behavior and habits. There were several famous doctors with excellent medical skills in the Daur’s history, such as Yelv Dielite and Yelv Gulu. They used spa therapy and produced medicine with animal parts. “Gui Dai Dan” (ghost replacing pill) is a widely-used oral anesthetic invented by the Daur people.
The Daur in the Liao Dynasty used toothbrushes more than 600 years earlier than Europeans.
The Daur like eating gruel, which cooks quickly and has a soft taste. Buckwheat noodle is also one of their main foods. Dairy products like cream, cheese and butter are also essential.
Sprouts stewed with pig intestines or pork is a traditional cuisine for the people around Dragon Boat Festival.
Daur people dress in a way that reflects their fishing and hunting culture. Men usually wear dresses made of cloth and long robes in summer, and put on fur-lined robes, fur trousers and leather caps in winter.
Women wear dresses made of cotton and cloth. They like wearing long gowns with kick pleats on the bottom accompanied by a sleeveless jacket trimmed with elegant lace.
The Daur fur hat usually is made from the head of roe deer, fox or wolf, with two ears. Some are decorated with symmetric horns. The Daur use the hat not only to keep warm but also to disguise themselves when hunting.
With energetic personalities and strong figures, the Daur, are actively fond of folk sports like archery, wrestling and hockey ball. “Bangun” and “Jinglisai” are among the most popular sports activities.
In a “Jinglisai” competition, two competitors share a stick or strip of cloth around their necks, sit on the ground face to face, extending their legs until they touch the other’s feet. As the match starts, both sides try their best to lean backward, and whoever lifts the other off the ground is the winner.
The Daur have a long history of playing traditional hockey ball, and it has developed rapidly in recent years. The players on China’s national hockey ball team are mostly from Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous County. Morin Dawa enjoys the reputation of “county of hockey ball.”
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