The drum of the clan between Balou Yao

Yao is one of the peoples most spread over the mountains of the south of China. They have numerous branches, with languages and quite different cultures. One of them is the call Yao de los Pantalones Blancos (Baiku Yao), that they speak the language Bunu and that are named themselves the same Balou.

These Balou support a social organization concerning the clan that they call "pupo". This is the basic structure of his society, who assembles all the people who venerates the same forefather. It is an economic unit as well as of mutual help. Each of these clans has a drum of bronze that represents him. The drum still guarded by the chief of the clan, is at the disposal of all his members. Formerly, whenever the Balou were celebrating a holiday, every clan was touching his bronze drum. When the elders fall ill and ceremony is realized to treat them, as well as in the funerals, the bronze drum always touches. Since the drum is the symbol of the proper clan.

The relation of the Balou with his bronze drums is so narrow, that the county in which they live, Nandan in the Guangxi province, is the place where more bronze drums survive in the whole China. Since nowadays there are more than 90.

One believes that the bronze drum is a symbol of the life of the clan. A necessary unit to survive in the inhospitable areas where they live: a mountains succession cársticas in that it is difficult to cultivate food and the hunting is scarce.

Some of these clans only are formed by two or three families, although normally they go so far as to include several tens. Every clan has a common territory that any of his members can use. There is times that a clan forms a village. The relation between the members of every clan is very narrow, and although there is an economic unit and of production, for lack of a writing, the bronze drum is the psychological symbol of the unit of the clan.

These clans are ruled by very simple rules:

1. Mutual help. Whenever a member of the clan needs it, others must help him without waiting for anything in return.

2. Meal share-out between all the members of the clan after the ceremonial sacrifices.

3. Not to waste the wealth out of the clan whenever it is possible.

4. If someone breaks repeatedly the norms of the clan, it can be expelled. Also it can be re-admitted when it should be ready to fulfill them.

Every clan has a chief who takes charge of several social works. Like assembling the people to value like raisin of the year and to programme the following year, to solve the internal problems of the clan, to preside at the ceremonies, to organize the work in the fields, and to continue the habitual laws. The tiene the drum in his house, tied by a chain.

Balou Yao thinks that the soul of the persons does not die, but it goes to the limits of the sky. They associate the bronze drum with the soul of his ancestors, thinking that once dead persons can express themselves for the sound of the drum.

The drum will be used fundamentally in three occasions:

Summoning to the souls of the ancestors for the new year. On the 27th and 28th of last lunar month, the drums are hung on the quarter, and they are beaten. With it the ancestors are called so that they come to spend the New Year. In fact, while they beat the drum they are saying the names of the masculine ancestors. After there comes the 15th of the first lunar month, they touch the drums so that the ancestors rise to the sky. These ceremonies reinforce enormously the unit inside the clan.

When someone of more than five years falls ill. In these cases the ceremony will be celebrated of cutting the cow and touching the drums. At once the neighbors and friends come with his drums, and they meet in the square of the drum from 7 8, or up to 20 or 30 drums. Every group, when it comes with his drum, begins dancing, with what a happy and festive ambience is created. In the middle of which the ritual sacrifice of a cow is celebrated.

When a person dies the drums touch to open the way for his soul to the world of the ancestors, on having listened to it, the neighbors go there also with their own drums. There is sung the "writing of the drum", in which it is asked to the drum that he should guide to the soul to the grounds of the ancestors. In the funeral also the ceremony will be realized of cutting the cow.

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