The Early Footprints Of Cloth: Grass, Leaves, Bark, And Skins.

The costumes of ethnic minorities are not only shaped but also colorful.

They are made of cotton, silk, chemical fibre, leather and wool.

We can not help asking, is the clothing material used by ethnic minority costumes like this? No, the material of many ethnic costumes is not known or even imagined.

It is through the unimaginable minority.

Similar to grass clothing is not uncommon in ethnic minority areas of Yunnan. It is usually used to make raincoats with grass or straw. It is used for rain and cold protection, but also for clothing.

In 1988, the Yunnan Nationalities Institute collected a grass coat in Wenshan Yi minority area. It was made of straw, rough in technology and simple in shape. It was like a scarecrow driving birds in paddy fields, but it was clear that it was "clothes".

As for the previously mentioned fire grass clothing and fire grass collar, it has become the finery of the Yi costume.

It can be seen that grass is a very natural thing that is very easy to get.

In the ancient books of China, there were early days on the leaves of minorities.

Guangxu's "Lijiang mansion draft" Volume 1 also said: "the people, men and women all wear hair, the face is dark, do not know how to comb, the leaves of the big are clothes, ears wear seven holes, fall to wooden ring."

It can be seen that in the Qing Dynasty, Kino, Jingpo, and Dulong, like Yunnan, still stayed in the last part of the primitive society, and the phenomenon of leaves and village skins was common.

This situation is partly extended to the middle of this century.

According to the national survey materials at the beginning of 50s, the Wa people in Yunnan before the liberation were dressed in brown skin; the Khun people in the Laku ethnic group made their clothes with banana leaves and coconut bark; the Dai people in Xishuangbanna wore clothes made from the bark of arrow poison wood, and the Kemu people in Mengla county were also popular fur clothing in the 50s of this century.

From the brief quotation above, we can clearly see that leaves and bark are used as clothing.

Indeed, it was a fact in early human history.

With leaves and bark as clothing, with the progress of production technology and the improvement brought by human beings, it will inevitably lead to the creation and production of bark cloth.

Yunnan kuru people wear the bark clothes from the Broussonetia papyrifera.

Broussonetia papyrifera, also called bark bark tree, Morus and deciduous trees, can grow up to fifteen six meters and grow in Yunnan mountains.

Broussonetia papyrifera leaves are ovate, are fissured, more hypertrophy, hard hair, can be linked to each other piece, do not need to sew, Broussonetia papyrifera from the strong toughness of long fibers, is a good material for making cotton paper and rubbing rope.

The kururs cut the bark of a meter long from the trunk of the Broussonetia papyrifera, soaked in water for about twenty days, took out a wooden stick, hammered it, washed away the gray black skin, and made it strong and tough.

In fact, this is in the manufacture of tree bark cloth.

Similarly, in the past, the poor Keno family also picked up the bark of the fiber and used it to cover the quilt. The kapok quilt, made of this kind of fiber bark, was staggered, tough and durable.

The bark cloth of the Cong man is made of tallow.

They cut up the rough and thick skins and peel them, then pour them into the water and hammer them. After drying, they can be made into clothes that can be worn for months or half a year.

In ancient China, clothing made of animal skin was earlier than silk and linen.

The book of rites.

Ritual Yun: "the former King...

No silk, no fur.

There is a post saint, then...

To cure his silk and to think of cloth and silk.

"Han Feizi" also said, "the ancients, women do not weave, the beast is full of clothes."

In the Tang Dynasty, fan Chuo's "Yunnan Chronicles" was much more specific. It was found that there was "no silk and silk cloth in the vulgar", "East and west", "East and west", "many cattle and horses, no cloth, men and women dressed in cattle skin"; Shi man "men and women are lifelong and full of cattle and sheep skins".

The actual situation of clothing and skins of ethnic minorities in Yunnan is roughly the same as that recorded by fan Qian 1000 years ago. The clothes of Yi and Naxi people still can not be separated from sheepskin.

In the north, the skin of clothing, animals and animals is even more common and important. Besides the Oroqen and Mongolians mentioned before, Ewenki people often wear long long woolen clothes. This coat is made of seven or eight sheepskins, with a leather plate facing outwards, and wool inside, durable and generous.

Salar men wear light sheepskin jacket in winter.

In Southwest China, Qiang men like to wear a sheepskin vest in a linen long gown, with hair shining in sunny days and fur outward on rainy days.

Hezhen nationality has always been known for its tanned fish skin, so it is known as "fish skin".

Every spring, when the river was thawed, Hezhe busy fishing for dozens of catties or even hundreds of Jin of big fish to make fish skin.

The women used various wild flowers to dye fish skin and fish skin lines into various bright colors, skillfully sewing garments and gloves, belts, aprons, leggings and so on.

Because fish skin has the characteristics of wear resistance, warmth and water, and no frost, it is very suitable for hunting fish in winter and fishing with fish clothing in spring.

The Yugur people who live in the Northwest Plateau for animal husbandry, their clothes are taken from the skin.

Their clothes, trousers and cloaks are almost all made of light sheepskin. They are thick and broad, but they are decorated with fine fur in the cuffs, collar, skirts and hem.

They wore high boots on their feet, showing a fearless spirit of fearless snow and cold.

When textile technology developed, people gradually replaced some natural products with textiles as clothing materials.

Among these textiles, it is worth mentioning the linen and cotton fabrics.

The history of the use of hemp in minority nationalities in South China has been quite long.

According to Yang Shen's "Nanzhao unofficial history", Lisu people wore "linen and linen" in Nanzhao, but the history of clothing and linen was much earlier.

In the local chronicles compiled in Ming and Qing Dynasties, there are many ethnic minorities' records of "linen", such as "Dongchuan Prefecture records" Volume 1: "Luo Luo, Ma Bu Ma Ma skirt, slash and burn cultivation, the most bitter category."

"Kaihua Fu" volume nine: "servant la......"

Mountain ploughing and burning are very popular, and clothes and linen are carried by sheepskin and bow arrow.

"Jingdong hall Zhili" volume three: "Xiao Luo Luo, men wear sackcloth shorts, female hair two petals; linen cloth napkins, linen, dense fold skirt, barefoot.

Linen cloth, thin species of mountain, bird catching birds, Qiao song Mu Zhi with Saki To. "

"Bai Luo Luo, both men and women wear linen, female hair, green cloth wrapped around the head, do not use green cloth pal.

Male farming, female weaving linen. "

"Yongbei Zhili hall" volume seven; "Luo Luo", a kind of simple nature, men in pat Baotou, body clothing Ma City umbilical cord, most of the foot.

Women's green cloth is wrapped in hair and sheepskin.

Male farming is easy to eat, and female is a family member.

Here, it is only a different branch of the Yi people.

In fact, even Bai people wore linen clothes.

In short, many ethnic groups in Yunnan have had the history of "linen".

Of course, kapok weaving is not as common as hemp, but it is also a fact in history.

"Huayang Guo Zhi Nan Zhong Zhi" said, Ailao Yi has "phoenix tree", its soft and soft silk, the people's performance thinks cloth, width five feet to return, clean and unpolluted, the common name is Tong Hua cloth.

To destroy the people, and then to sell and sell people.

Tung Bi Bu, that is, cotton cloth, is undoubtedly a senior product in minority areas.

It was common for Yunnan residents to use kapok clothes in the Tang Dynasty.

In the Song Dynasty, the kapok cloth produced by ethnic minorities in Yunnan was also exported to the mainland.

Now, Yi people, Lisu and Nu people, Dulong and Miao people in some areas of Yunnan also wear hemp cloth.

The coat of the Nu woman of the Gong Shan is the right hemp blouse, and the skirt is also made of linen.

The Nu dress of Nu nationality women is actually a linen blanket, making skirts during the day and making bedding at night.

The blankets of the Nu nationality are blankets, with red, black, baskets, and strong bars.

The Dulong nationality man was covered with a piece of linen on his body, diagonally crossed in front of his chest, tied under linen cloth underpants and feet.

Now it is wearing a cloth. When going out, men and women are still accustomed to being a linen.

Miao women are more dependent on linen cloth. Weaving is a necessary manual labor for Miao women. Their beautiful Hua Qunzi is made of numbness.

From seed to sewing into skirts, through thirty more processes.

When the hemp grows, it will be cut and tied into bundles and exposed to the sun. When the skin is yellowed, it will be torn into a line. Then it will be twisted into a coil and then boiled with the stove ash water. After repeated rinsing, it will be made white and dry.

After making pleated skirts, flowers, clouds, birds, animals and fish worms should be embroidered.

Although the Li nationality of Hainan Island no longer wears "Tong Hua bu", it still maintains the exquisite skills of "kapok", "Li Dan" and "Li curtain", and embroiders the famous "double faced embroidery" on these fabrics, which is famous for its natural beauty.

In short, grass, leaves, bark, animal skins, linen and so on constitute the early footprints of human material.