Totemismo between the Li

Between the numerous current beliefs of Li de Hainan still there stay remains of his primitive totemismo. This is because, according to his myths, each of his clans originated for the relation between a woman (reflex of his primitive matriarchy) and an animal.

Perhaps the animal most venerated by the Li is the snake, since according to different local legends, in the ancient times Leigong, the God of the Thunder, put a snake egg on the mountain Li. Of the egg salío a woman, called later Limu (the mother of the Li) who was feeding on the wild fruits of the forest and was sheltering in nests in his trees. A lot of time later he married a come man of beyond the seas. His progeny was numerous, they filled the mountains and inciaron the agriculture.

The ox is for the Li, as for many other peoples of the south of China, a key piece in his symbolic univeros and in his economic life. His value is not given only by his work in the fields, but it goes so far as to replace the persons in the sacrifices the gods. Whenever there is wedding or funeral they sacrifice themselves, to that the man is considered to be equal.En every house there is a precious stone that they call "a soul of the ox".

Every year on eighth of March of the lunar calendar celebrates the Holiday of the Oxen. Oxen can kill themselves nor make them work, and they give to drink liquor leaked across the stone "soul of ox". It protects that to the ox and guarantees the future harvest.

Those who are called Pooh between Li de Jiaxing are called "Children of the ox" and consider to this animal like his protective god.

The bird "najiaxila" is other of his sacred animals. Since according to the legend long ago an ancestress of the Li had a daughter, dying she to a little time. A bird naxiaxila took care of the daughter feeding it every day until it became major with grains that it was bringing in its own mouth, to remember forever the kindness of this bird, the women were tattooing in his body drawings of the pens of this bird, which has turned for them into a protective god.

Also there are legends of a woman who came in ship and in the mountains he married a dog giving birth to the Li.

There are some villages that take the memory of the dragon, and those that Shi calls between Jiaxing Li are called "the children of the dragon".

In others they consider the cat as his forefather, and neither eat his meat, nor kill him. And on having died, two 12-13-year-old not married young people buries him with many ceremony, sometimes under a coconut palm. Especially between the Kai the cat is an animal totémico, he is his forefather and therefore a sacred animal. They weep for him on having died, and think that his soul can be marauding round there.

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