Become great and beautiful
It goes without saying that the characteristics of Miao silver ornaments are great beauty. Miao silver horn is almost the height of the wearer.
Half is a convincing example.
Piles are mountains, showing majestic beauty; Water is a sea, showing infinite beauty.
Miao silver jewelry is very reasonable from the aesthetic point of view because of its unique insight into great beauty.
Pay attention to beauty
Seeing the importance of beauty, Miao women in Shidong, Guizhou used a round stick that gradually became thicker to enlarge their ears when they were young, so as to ensure that they could wear the local popular round earrings and lengthen their earlobes by using the weight of the earrings.
Some women have their earlobes removed because their earrings are too heavy.
The local earrings weigh only 200 grams.
The heavier the basket of Liping Miao women, the better. The heavier the basket, the more than eight pounds.
More is beauty.
The artistic features of Miao silver ornaments are also amazing.
Many Miao areas pay attention to the beauty of wearing silver ornaments.
Hang three or four earrings and fold them to your shoulders; Wear three or four collars, no neck cover; Wear Fu Zi ornaments and waist ornaments.
Especially in the Qingshui River basin, there are hundreds of combined parts, which overlap and are complicated, presenting a complex beauty.
This materialization of showing off consciousness is not difficult to see in other ethnic groups.
The tattoo custom of Dai people emphasizes that the larger the tattoo area, the more complex and beautiful the pattern; Hani girls in courtship are covered with dense beads and shells; The "dragon ornaments" of Tibetan women in Qinghai pastoral areas fully embody the aesthetic principle of pursuing greatness and diversity; As many as thirty or forty times, the waist hoop of De 'ang nationality is a typical pursuit of jewelry quantity.
It shows that Miao nationality is not the only one who pursues complexity and restraint.
It is worth mentioning that, from the comparison of silver ornaments collected by Guizhou Provincial Museum in different periods, the Miao people's pursuit of large, heavy and multi-silver ornaments has never stopped.
Especially after 1980s, the development speed of Miao silver ornaments is unprecedented.
This reflects the continuous improvement of the living standards of the Miao people from one side.
Edit the history of silver ornaments in this section.
In the hundreds of years after the Ming Dynasty, Miao silver ornaments experienced a deductive process, in order to obey the needs of national aesthetic stereotype.
Nationalization process of combination and variation.
First, all the original varieties of silver ornaments were not accepted, some were eliminated after introduction, some were repeatedly transformed beyond recognition, and of course, some basically retained their original characteristics.
In fact, the development of any national culture is actually a process of deepening knowledge and understanding.
Secondly, the nationalization process of Miao silver ornaments is also an innovative process.
There is no doubt that human needs are the first source of artistic creation, and the aesthetic concept of the group is the criterion of artistic creation.
The innovation of Miao silver ornaments happened and developed along this logic.
Due to the demand for silver ornaments, the aesthetic consciousness of Miao people's clothing gradually divorced from practical consciousness, and the dependence on material needs evolved into the relationship between subject and object of aesthetics.
Due to the standardization of group aesthetic concept, in the process of artistic innovation, Miao silver ornaments gradually formed their own distinctive national personality.
There are many aesthetics that influence and stipulate the modeling of Miao silver ornaments, so what is the most fundamental? Miao people have a custom of "using money as ornaments" since ancient times, and historical data also show that "money" ornaments and silver ornaments have entered the Miao clothing field at the same time.
This show-off mentality with glaze as decoration plays a vital role in the aesthetic value orientation of Miao silver ornaments, forming three basic artistic characteristics of Miao silver ornaments, namely, beauty is the most important, beauty is the most important and beauty is the most.
Edit the silverware process of this paragraph.
process
The processing of Miao silver ornaments is done by hand in family workshops.
According to the needs, silversmiths first make molten silver into thin slices, silver bars or silver wires, then make exquisite patterns by pressing, thinning, engraving and hugging, and then weld or weave.
Miao Yin
The technological process of Miao silver jewelry is very complicated, and a piece of silver jewelry can only be completed after one or twenty processes.
Moreover, the modeling of silverware itself requires extremely strict craftsmanship of silversmiths, which is difficult for non-experts to complete.
Besides being an expert in hammer and anvil work, Miao Silversmith is also an expert in modeling design.
On the one hand, Miao silversmith is good at drawing creative inspiration from women's embroidery and batik patterns.
On the other hand, as a member of the branch, and in order to gain a competitive advantage among peers, Miao silversmith pays attention to details or partial descriptions according to the traditional habits and aesthetic tastes of this department.
The perfection of technology makes Miao silver ornaments perfect day by day.
Of course, all this must be based on the premise of not touching the overall shape of silver jewelry.
Miao silver jewelry has its stability in modeling. Once the shape of an ancestor is determined, it cannot be changed, and it often forms an important symbol of a branch.
Miao women decorate silver, love its whiteness and cherish its innocence.
Therefore, in addition to processing silver ornaments, Miao silversmiths are also responsible for removing dirt and dirt from silver ornaments, commonly known as "washing silver".
They painted the silver ornaments with borax water, burned off the oxide layer attached to them with charcoal, then boiled them in alum water in a copper pot, washed them with clear water, and then wiped them clean with a copper brush. These silver ornaments are as bright as new.
raw material
Historically, the main raw materials for silver jewelry processing were silver dollar and silver ingot.
In other words, Miao people work at sunrise and rest at sunset. Over the years, almost all the accumulated money has been put into the melting pot.
Because of this, the silver purity of local silver ornaments is subject to the local popular silver coins.
For example, during the Republic of China, the territory of southeastern Guizhou was bounded by Leishan. The silver in the north comes from the ocean with high purity, while the silver in the south comes from No.2, with poor quality.
Since the 1950s, the Party and * * * have fully respected the customs and habits of the Miao people and allocated Miao special silver at a low price every year.
Silver jewelry culture
Witch culture dominates the spiritual connotation of Miao silver ornaments.
Among the various patterns of silver ornaments, images containing witchcraft and belief occupy the main position of the ornaments.
For example, the silver dress on the back of the Miao people in Danjiang has the image of a "ancestral temple", which is the core pattern of the Miao people's primitive religious beliefs. Its witchcraft is of great significance and has the status of controlling the whole body silver.
Therefore, every piece of silver in this "ancestral hall" pattern is indispensable, generally stable and cannot be created or deformed at will.
There are knights on horseback and idols on children's silver hats around Yinhuatou, too.
Miao totem worship is an important form of silver ornaments.
Miao totem is several images related to Miao nationality.
In the ancient Miao songs, it is said that the maple tree gave birth to a butterfly mother (sister list and sister strategy), and the butterfly mother gave birth to twelve eggs, and the Miao ancestor Jiang Yang and twelve brothers were hatched by magpie birds.
In this way, there are four kinds of totems related to Miao ancestors.
Buffalo is the brother of Jiang Yang, the ancestor of Miao nationality.
The silver horns of Xijiang, Shidong and Paidiao Miao are the patterns of the horns.
Buffalo is the main force of rice farming, and buffalo is a sacrifice to ancestors.
Legend has it that Chiyou, the ancestor of Miao nationality, had a head and horns.
According to Shuo Wen Jie Zi, "In the Qin and Han Dynasties, it was said that Chiyou had ears like halberds and horns on his head. He fights with Xuanyuan, and people can't fan people with horns. " Miao people think buffalo is a god beast.
The Miao people in Leishan often refer to cows as "cows' mothers and cows' fathers", and they will never forget to treat cows and give them glutinous rice with wine and meat on holidays.
When they get back the newly made silver horn from the silversmith, they will not only pay the salary, but also send glutinous rice to show their gratitude to the silversmith for making the mascot for themselves.
When you take Yinjiao home, you should say, "Open the door, the cow is coming!" " "And prepare wine and meat to celebrate.
Miao people believe that maple is an ancestor other than heaven and earth.
Maple trees are of course displayed on silver ornaments.
The hanging flowers on the silver ornaments are mostly triangular maple leaf patterns, which are also used as intermediate shapes to connect other patterns.
There are more than ten kinds of birds mentioned in Miao ancient songs. The magpie bird that helps mother butterfly hatch twelve eggs is said to be a kind of swallow.
It is changed from the top of an ancient maple tree that was cut down, so it is also worshipped as a totem by Miao people.
Therefore, tapiscia sinensis is an extremely important pattern in Miao silver ornaments.
There are four tapirs in the silver hairpin composed of the main tapirs in Leishan Danjiang. The middle one is very lifelike and vivid, even a feather texture can be seen clearly, while the sparrow is abstract and simple.
The main body of Wang Si's hairpin in Duyun is a realistic bird with vivid expression. It is spreading its wings, its feathers are slightly parted, and it has a silver cage in its mouth.
Butterfly patterns can be seen on almost all silver ornaments, such as silver bibs, hairpins, silver combs, earrings, clothing accessories, collars, pressure collars, silver clothing pieces, suspenders, waist chains, pendants, bracelets, rings, cigarette cases, waist tags and so on. Because mother butterfly is the legendary mother of Miao nationality.
The above totem patterns and shapes are indispensable for Miao silverware.
The expected patterns and shapes of various animals and flowers can be flexibly matched, leaving a broad imagination and creative space for silversmiths.
Different from the dragon in China traditional culture.
It is written in Shan Hai Jing-Ye Bei Jing: "Chiyou fought with the Yellow Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor made Ying Long attack the wild land of Jizhou." According to legend, Chiyou is the ancestor of Miao nationality, but the dragon is Chiyou's opponent.
Therefore, among the twelve eggs in the Miao ancient song, "Shuilong" is only one of the eggs and has no supreme status.
In the history and culture of Miao nationality, some areas have the custom of inviting dragons and accepting them, and regard dragons as the supreme.
But there are also many areas where there is no special dragon worship.
The legend of the Dragon Boat Festival in Shidong can well represent the relationship between Miao and Dragon: a long time ago, there lived an old man named Bao Gong in Xiaohekou.
One day, he took his grandson Jiubao down to the river to fish, and the old man went ashore first.
The old man walked for a while, and suddenly the dark clouds rolled and his grandson disappeared.
At this time, regardless of the wind and waves, the old man jumped into the water to find his grandson.
The old man saw an old hole under the water. He sneaked in and saw the dragon sleeping with his grandson's body on his pillow.
The old man was very angry, but he didn't disturb the dragon. Instead, I swam back to the shore, tied pig urine bubbles with fire sickle and fire grass, and then sneaked back to Longdong and set fire to it.
However, the smoke from the fire dragon cave filled the Qingshui River.
There was no sunshine for seven days and seven nights in a row, and the air was dark.
Birds don't leave their nests, chickens don't crow, cows don't plow, and people can't make a living.
Children's seats can only be played with wooden sticks and corn stalks under the eaves.
Inadvertently shouted: "Knock more! More! " Like playing drums.
At this time, the sky slowly lit up and everyone was very excited.
Soon, a four-foot-long, bucket-thick and colorful dragon corpse floated on the river.
In Shibin Shengbing Village, the dragon corpse was picked up.
Villages all over the country are always told to eat dragon meat, and then all the people in the villages go to eat dragon meat.
It didn't take long to grab the whole dragon.
Shengbing Village got the dragon head, Pingzhai got the dragon neck, Tanglongzhai got the dragon body, Rongshanzhai got the dragon waist, the cave digger went a little late, got the dragon tail, and Yangjiazhai went the latest, with only a little dragon intestines.
When people separated the dragon meat, at night, the dragon soul had a dream for everyone, saying, "I killed the old man's grandson and I lost my life myself." If you make my body look like a fir tree and paddle in the Qingshui River for a few days to bring me back to life, I will bless you with good weather and abundant crops. " As a result, the custom of rowing dragon boats rose in Shidong area.
Based on this cultural background, in the embroidery of Miao costumes in Shidong and other places, dragon is a symbol that can be seen everywhere, good and evil, and can be "grafted" with various animals.
But silver ornaments are more influenced by China culture than embroidery. Dragon patterns in Miao silver ornaments are more common in headdresses.
In particular, the silver horns worn by women are mostly auspicious patterns such as Ssangyong and pearls.
On the collar, the dragon pattern is more common, and it is particularly rich with other patterns and animals. Here, the dragon is just an ordinary member of the animal family. It can be on a collar like all kinds of animals and plants.
For example, it is popular in Ping Huang and Kaili, Guizhou: "Dragon and Phoenix Grab the Treasure with Single-layer Silver Bell Collar", with a double dragon and double phoenix embossed on one side, a dragon-shaped round box in the middle and a cat, deer, fish and dragon-shaped bell pendant on the lower edge.
Another example is a bell silver necklace popular in Shibing, Guizhou. Its chain is hung with phoenix, bat, tiger, toad, chicken, horse, fish, man and a string of bells. There is a round box hanging in the middle of the necklace, one side is decorated with embossed bull's head pattern, and the other side is sunflower pattern. Even on a practical dagger, it is very simple.
This dragon is in the lowest and most inconspicuous place.
It also reflects the unusual position of dragons in the minds of Miao people.
Miao people have all kinds of dragons, such as Niu Long, snake dragon, ichthyosaur, bird dragon, pig dragon, sheep dragon, Malone, silkworm dragon, centipede dragon, ground dragon, snail dragon, shrimp dragon, cockshead dragon, two-headed dragon, gluttonous dragon, dragon, unicorn dragon and pangolin dragon.
However, the "unusual" of dragons in Shidong area is conditional. For example, children wear silver hats, such as bodhisattvas, fairies, lions, tigers and unicorns, but there is no dragon pattern, which seems to reflect the unusual dragon.
Because the child is still young, he can't afford to keep this noble dragon.
Unique Migration Culture in Miao Silver Jewelry
Although the silver ornaments of Miao nationality appeared late, due to the inheritance of Miao oral culture from generation to generation, the long migration expedition still left an indelible mark on the lives of Miao people who have settled for many years. They still remember the hardships and dangers of their ancestors' migration and exploration, recall the scenery during the migration, and worship the courage and tenacity of their ancestors.
Therefore, their silver ornaments reflect the long-term movement, migration process and migration culture of the Miao people.
For example, there are warriors riding horses with knives and sticks outside the Yinhuatou in Taijiang and on the Danjiang in Leishan.
A well-made silver horse apron, worn by sunken women, has a mirror inlaid with jewels in the middle, and there are seven macho men standing on horseback on the left and right sides, with their heads in a high bun and weapons in their hands, face to face and vivid in shape.
These are the battle scenes in which our ancestors galloped on the battlefield and marched westward, showing the memory of our ancestors in caves.
There are also patterns of men riding horses on the silver clothes on the backs of Miao women in Shidong.
Lushan also has a silver pendant with various knives, swords, ear spoons and so on. Around the woman's waist, it is the impression of migration in those years.
In addition, the lion, a beast and peony flower, has never been seen in Miao areas of Guizhou, but the women's breastplates of Taijiang and Shidong generations are listed. Silver clothes with lions and peony flowers, silver bracelets and children's silver hats with peony lion patterns, silver lock breastplates worn by unmarried women in Huaxi area, and silver tags of Shuanglong and Shuangshi in Liping are all inseparable from lions. Peony patterns are often found in silver ornaments, which can be regarded as ancestors of Miao people in the Central Plains.
Fish is an indispensable food for Miao people along Dongjiang River and seaside.
In addition to the reproductive worship of many children, fish sang in the "Miao Fang Ancient Song": "Bangsheng was born to eat fish ... there are plenty of fish! Carp as big as a square.
I have fish for her here, and the list is a little happy. After the Miao people moved to the western mountainous areas, they not only raised fish in paddy fields, but also continued the habit of eating fish in the east, which was also fully reflected in silver ornaments. Fish is an indispensable pattern and shape in all kinds of silver ornaments of Miao people from head to toe.
Another unique ornament in Miao silver ornaments is bell, which is often worn on collars, tags and waist ornaments, and is also a relic of migration.
People in the * * * ring, through a series of mountains and rivers, will never be separated.
See through the lack of equality concept in feudal society.
Miao silver ornaments came into being in the feudal society with strict hierarchy after the Ming Dynasty.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, people's clothing and jewelry had certain hierarchical rules.
This can be seen from the "Ku Long Bu Zhou Tu" by Chen Hongshou, an important painter in the late Ming Dynasty.
Figure * * * Three ladies, the older one in front is a gorgeous lady, and the other two young ones are ladies-in-waiting.
There is a hairpin headdress on the top of the lady's bun, and the maid-in-waiting can see the difference at a glance.
In the Qing Dynasty, the specific rules of official uniforms and various accessories from the empress dowager to the ladies-in-waiting were recorded in the volumes of Qing Hui Dian and Qing thomas lee, and no one could overstep them.
The Miao people, who also lived in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, wore silver ornaments without hierarchy, just like clothing.
Whether you are an elder in the village, a manager, a toaster, a Tibetan drum head and his family, or an ordinary citizen, as long as you live in a community, everyone can wear the same silver ornaments.
For example, the headdress of Ping Huang Miao girls when they get married mentioned above is extremely exquisite, but it is not exclusive to ladies. Miao girls in that area can wear it when they get married.
Xijiang Miao girls must wear silver horns when they get married. If they don't have it at home, they can borrow it from relatives and friends, and people are happy to borrow it.
This also reflects the primitive and equal national spirit inherited from the ancient Miao society.
Miao silver ornaments have a way of display.
Han nationality's jewelry is just an ornament, which is more and more simplified with the development of society.
Most women no longer wear jewelry in modern daily life, let alone silver jewelry.
Miao people should wear silver ornaments to match important moments in their lives, such as festivals or weddings, which are more beautiful.
Miao folk proverb says: "No money, no flowers, no girls." Some people began to make silver ornaments for their daughters year after year when they were young, accumulating a little every year and storing it in special wooden boxes.
When my daughter is in her teens, she will dress up and show it to her compatriots at grand festivals and weddings.
Miao people in Xijiang River need to prepare a full set of silver ornaments to make silver horns. Whether the silver horn is displayed during the festival can reflect the social status of girls. Girls who don't wear silver horns can only dance the lusheng behind the silver horns.
The head circumference of the Miao nationality in Danjiang, Leishan, should make the wearer's entire forehead surrounded by silver flowers.
Shidong's rattan silver jewelry ring often covers her mouth and hangs three or four earrings, the heaviest of which is four or two.
A hollowed-out silver dress, sewn with 44 pieces of silver thread on the back of the front of the dress.
A pair of silver crowns in Ping Huang weigh more than 2 kilograms.
A pair of 13 silver bars from the western hills of Congjiang River weigh nearly 2 kg.
In many places, the whole body silver ornaments of Miao women add up to two or three hundred.
This is a display of beauty, strength and wealth.
This exhibition has promoted the exchange of silver jewelry art, improved the artistic aesthetic ability of Miao people, and promoted the continuous prosperity of silver jewelry art.
Miao silver jewelry pays special attention to matching with clothing.
Dressing in ancient costumes and matching with a full set of silver ornaments on festivals and major festive days of life is perfect, more elegant and elegant, and sets off a cheerful and warm festive atmosphere.
Wearing casual clothes with casual silver ornaments in daily life is convenient, simple and generous, and convenient for daily work.
Miao people in Xijiang and Danjiang wear casual clothes, and the headdress only uses a silver hairpin welded with four small silver beads, which not only plays a decorative role, but also fixes the bun.
Women in the above two places should use this kind of silver bun as long as they comb Miao bun.
There are also waist tags and waist chains, which are not only decorative, but also can be used to fix the waist.
Eartags used to be worn with casual clothes, but now young women wear fewer ear tags every day.
In the cave area where agricultural production is relatively developed, there is a second kind of clothing, which is dignified and convenient to move when worn in some ceremonial occasions with corresponding silver ornaments.
In addition, symmetry is generally emphasized in the pattern matching of silver ornaments themselves.
For example, there are silver pieces with silver coats on the back, one on each side of various animal patterns, and the idols on children's silver hats are also symmetrical.
But on the hairpins, there are often asymmetrical shapes, which make the silver ornaments more agile and present the natural state of life.