The Dai ethnic group, also known as the "Dai-Tai ethnic group", is one of the ethnic minorities in China and one of the most populous ethnic groups in the world. Below I have compiled knowledge related to Dai totem culture for everyone. I hope it will be useful to everyone.

Dai Totem Culture

In the vast subtropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna, there are many wild animals, many of which are rare or endangered animals in the world. They are veritable animals. kingdom?. Due to its special geographical location and good environmental conditions, it is a place where wild animals from several different natural areas and biota gather. The subtropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna has become a rare "animal kingdom" in the country and even the world. In addition to the good natural environment, the main reason why the Dai people have lived in harmony with animals for generations has been.

The ancestors of the Dai people have known for a long time that humans cannot live without animals, and animals also rely on humans for protection. They know that if there are no centipedes to bite snakes, there will be too many snakes, and people will suffer; and chickens will eat centipedes, and if there are no chickens, and there will be too many centipedes, people will suffer, and snakes will eat chickens and eggs. Among the three animals, if any one of them becomes extinct and loses mutual balance and restraint, humans will suffer. Therefore, the Dai people pay great attention to protecting animals and strive to achieve harmonious coexistence between humans and animals.

The wild elephant in the forest is one of the totem worship objects of the Dai people in Xishuangbanna. There are many myths and legends about elephants widely circulated among the Dai people. The Dai people consider themselves to be descendants of elephants, and the folk custom of elephant worship is everywhere in their lives. Elephants are friends of mankind, but sometimes wild elephants will approach villages and destroy crops, while leopards and tigers will enter villages from time to time and harm people and livestock. The Dai people plant banana and bamboo forests on the hillsides near their villages. Wild elephants often come to eat plantains and bamboos. Leopards and tigers are intimidated by the power of wild elephants and dare not approach the villages. Because wild elephants are huge, powerful, intelligent, and humane animals, the Dai people learned to tame wild elephants very early on, so that they can be ridden by people and used to open up wasteland and haul wood.

The Dai people in Xishuangbanna have a special liking for red deer, because red deer guided their ancestors to find this fertile place beside the Lancang River and settle down. There is a legendary story: more than 3,000 years ago, the leader of the Dai people, Baalawu, saw a golden red deer during hunting. They chased and chased, and the golden deer appeared and disappeared, but they could never catch up. The golden deer led Baalawu and his party to this place before disappearing. Baalawu and the others settled here, cutting down thorns, burning weeds, building roads, cultivating farmland, building bamboo buildings, and turning this place into a beautiful and prosperous place. Therefore, the red deer has become one of the totem worship objects of the Dai people.

The peacock is an auspicious bird in the hearts of the Dai people. There are many beautiful and touching myths about peacocks circulated among the people. When you enter Xishuangbanna, you will see lifelike peacock sculptures everywhere in villages, temples, rooftops, roadsides, and parks. During the festival, young men and women of the Dai ethnic group perform the beautiful and moving peacock dance. The Dai people love peacocks. They never hunt peacocks. Some people even tame peacocks in their courtyards.

The Origin of the Dai Nationality

The Dai Nationality originated from the Ailao people in the middle and upper reaches of the Nu River and Lancang River.

The Ailao people are one of the ancient humans on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Around the fifth century BC, the Ailao people founded Daguang and other tribal alliance states in the middle and upper reaches of the Lancang and Nu rivers. At the end of the second century BC, the Daguang Kingdom began to contact the Han Dynasty. Because King Daguang at that time was called "Ailao", the Han Dynasty began to call the Daguang Kingdom "Ailao Kingdom". Before that, because the Ailao people were good at riding elephants and their living environment was similar to that of the Yue people in the south of the Han Dynasty, they were mistaken by the Han Dynasty as a branch of the Yue people, and the Daguang Kingdom was called the "Dianyue Chengxiang Kingdom". .

Since the first century AD, the Dian Kingdom located to the east of the Daguang Kingdom has been in constant conflict with its suzerain state (the Han Dynasty), and a large number of Dian people (also called "Dian Yue people" because they absorbed Yue culture) have emerged. After entering the Ailao territory, the Ailao people absorbed and integrated the Dian people, initially forming the prototype of the modern Dai people.