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30-507: Shui may refer to: Shui people , or Sui people, ethnic group living in southwestern China Shui language , or Sui language, spoken by the Shui people Shui (surname) (水), a Chinese surname Shui (rhetorical term) , a term from Chinese formal rhetoric SHUI - firmware for 3D printers Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

60-596: A lesser extent Christianity are practiced by the Kam. Some deities and sacred natural phenomena are also listed below. Snakes are highly revered and are often thought to have been the progenitors of the ancient Baiyue peoples, which included the Kam. The legendary founders of the Kam people, Zhang Liang and Zhang Mei, are often called upon to help with illnesses and disasters. Traditional Kam religion uses many taboos, omens, and fetishes. The fetishes are usually plant parts such as tree branches, reeds, leaves, and roots. Some of

90-564: A major source of income for the Kam people. Below is a list of traditional Kam festivals. Two new year festivals: One-day work-related festivals, where chicken, fish, and glutinous rice are eaten. There are four harvest festivals which last 1–3 days. Singing festivals: Remembrance festivals: Miscellaneous festivals: Bullfighting is also historically popular among the Kam people. The Kam people are traditionally polytheistic with many elements of animism . Totems include turtles, snakes, and dragons, and worshiped ancestors include

120-510: A rich array of legends and folk tales. Many of these popular tales are about the leaders of past uprisings (Geary 2003:218). Celebrated leaders include: Popular folk tales are listed below. They can be found in The Kam People of China by D. Norman Geary. Kam clans are known as dou and are further divided into ji , gong , and households (known as "kitchens"), respectively from largest to smallest in size. Village elders were traditionally

150-410: A woman is widowed, she covers her hair with a fabric of white color for three years. The Sui possess a lunar calendar that is initiated in the ninth lunar month. Their funeral services are elaborate and long ceremonies where animal sacrifices are carried out in honor of the dead. Except for fish, Sui villagers usually refrain from eating meat after the death of a person (Wei 2003:xvi). The staple food of

180-468: A world-class intangible cultural heritage since 2009. Kam choral songs include nature songs, narratives, and children's songs. One-part songs (as opposed to polyphonic , or many-part, songs) can be sung by one or many people. They include: Operas are highly popular among the Kam and are performed by local troupes. Two famous Kam playwrights are Wu Wencai (1798–1845), author of Mei Liangyu , and Zhang Honggan (1779–1839). Kam oral literature contains

210-497: Is a Tai–Kadai (Chinese: Zhuang–Dong ) language. Ethnologue distinguishes three Kam varieties as separate but closely related languages: Northern Dong [doc], Southern Dong [kmc], and Cao Miao [cov]. Sui , Maonan and Mulao are the languages most closely related to Kam. Historically, Northern Kam has been influenced by Chinese much more than has Southern Kam. The Kam language has no traditional script of its own. The Kam people sometimes use Chinese characters to represent

240-715: Is a rare local specialty. Two hot meals (breakfast and dinner) and one cold meal (lunch) are served every day. The Kam-speaking area is famous for its fir wood. Fir from the Kam area was used to build the ships of 15th-century explorer Zheng He and the Great Hall of the People . Major economic activities include carpentry and the manufacture of silverwork and wickerwork. Baskets and other wickerwork are usually made by men. Baskets can be made from five types of plant materials, namely glutinous rice straw, cogongrass , Guangxi grass, bamboo , and rattan . In recent years, tourism has become

270-600: Is complemented by the following events: Like those of the Miao people , Kam funerals are highly elaborate. People who died from unnatural causes (e.g., accidents) are cremated , while those who died from natural causes are buried. Burial consists of the following phases: An average-size Kam village has 200–300 homes, although the smallest ones have only 10–20 and the largest ones have more than 1,000. Kam villages typically have: Popular scenic spots in Kam-speaking territories are

300-537: Is cultivated for textile production. Generally the Kam occupy lower-lying land than the Miao and are thus wealthier. Animals frequently raised by the Kam people include: The "four pillars" of Kam cuisine are glutinous rice , sour (pickled) food, hot pepper, and rice wine . Other popular local dishes and condiments include barbecued fish, intestines sauce, purple blood pork, chicken-blood sauce, oil tea, gongguo (glutinous rice snack sweetened with liana) and bianmi (another glutinous rice snack). The giant salamander

330-449: Is one of the most important sources of food. Like the Dong people , many Sui raise carp in village fishponds (Wei 2003:xiv). A popular dish consumed during the summer is a kind of sour broth called lu5 hum3 . Sui families also regularly hold communal hot pots. Kippered fish ( hum3 mom6 ), kippered meat ( hum3 naan4 ), and the meat of suckling pigs are also popular. Rice spirits are popular among

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360-558: Is rich in myths, songs, and folk tales. The list below is from Wei (2003:xxvi). Excerpts of Sui songs can also be found in Fang-Kuei Li 's 1977 book Shuihua yanjiu (Research on the Sui language). Dong people The Kam people ( Kam : Gaeml , [kɐ́m] ), officially known in China as Dong people ( Chinese : 侗族 ; pinyin : Dòngzú ), are a Kam–Sui people and one of

390-670: The "wind and rain bridge" ( Chinese : 风雨桥 ). The Kam people call themselves Kam , Geml , Jeml or Gaeml . The Kam are thought to be the modern-day descendants of the ancient Rau peoples who occupied much of southern China. Kam legends generally maintain that the ancestors of the Kam migrated from the east. According to the migration legends of the Southern Kam people, their ancestors came from Guangzhou , Guangdong and Wuzhou , Guangxi . The Northern Kam maintain that their ancestors fled Zhejiang and Fujian because of locust swarms . Some scholars (mainly Chinese) also believe that

420-571: The 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China . They live mostly in eastern Guizhou , western Hunan and northern Guangxi . Small pockets of Kam speakers are found in Tuyên Quang Province in Vietnam. They are famed for their native-bred Kam Sweet Rice ( Chinese : 香禾糯 ), carpentry skills and unique architecture, in particular a form of covered bridge known as

450-499: The Jiudong region, Liudong region, Chengyang village , Pingdeng region, and Yuping region . The Kam people cultivate dozens of varieties of glutinous rice (known locally as "Kam" or "good" rice). The Han Chinese cultivate non-glutinous rice, which is called "Han (Chinese) rice" by the Kam. Supplementary foods inclusive maize , millet , vegetables, plums, peaches, pears, mushrooms, mandarin oranges , pomelos , and watermelons . Cotton

480-624: The Kam were a branch of the Bai Yue from the first century CE. The Bai Yue inhabited the Yangze River basin after the collapse of the Yue Kingdom around the first century CE which led to the establishment of many small chiefdoms. The first explicit mention of the Kam (or Dong) people come from Ming dynasty sources. Many Kam rebellions took place during the Ming and Qing dynasties , but none were successful in

510-535: The Red Army as it passed through Guangxi during the Long March. Some Kam also allied with the People's Liberation Army through establishing guerilla units against the forces of Chiang Kai-Shek. After 1949, infrastructure was quickly developed in Kam areas. Schools, roads, small factories and more were built. Many Kam also became government officials. Although the Kam and Han Chinese peoples generally get along well today,

540-425: The Sui people is glutinous rice . Supplementary grains and tubers include corn, wheat, barley, millet, and sweet potatoes. Rice is either steamed in a bamboo steamer or cooked in a covered pot over a low fire. Popular rice-based dishes include ʔjut7 (Chinese: zongzi) and cooked glutinous rice with chrysanthemum and puffed rice (Wei 2003:xiv). Sui women also give glutinous rice to relatives when visiting them. Fish

570-520: The Sui, and are also consumed during marriages, funerals, festivals, and building raising events. The Sui are also famed for their jiuqian wine. Festivals include (Wei 2003:xix): The bronze drum is often played during festivals, and singing, dancing, slaughtering livestock for food, and giving thanks to family ancestors are typical of these festivals (Wei 2003:xxii). The Sui are mainly polytheists and practice ancestor worship as well. Shamans were traditionally hired to carry out prayers and sacrifices in

600-1073: The ancient Baiyue peoples, who had inhabited southern China before the Han dynasty (Wei 2003:viii). The name "Sui," which means "water" in Chinese, was adopted during the Ming Dynasty . Today, 93% of all Sui people (322,000 individuals) reside in Guizhou , China , with 63% of them living in Sandu Shui Autonomous County . To the south, 10,000 Sui live around Yingdong village in Rongshui County , Guangxi (Edmondson 2008). Small pockets of Sui people also live in Fuyang and Yiliang Counties, Yunnan . Additionally, there are 120 Sui living in Hồng Quang District, Tuyên Quang Province , northern Vietnam who are

630-402: The bride's family's home. The bride is later sent to the groom's home, where an afternoon reception and all-night feast then ensue. The next day there is a "blocking the horse" ceremony where the hosts block the guests while singing songs. The bride typically resides at her parents' house for a few months or even years. Silver jewellery is passed onto the bride by her mother. The birth of a child

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660-552: The descendants of Sui people who had left Sandu County 8 generations ago (Wei 2003:vii). The Sui speak a Kra–Dai language , part of the Kam–Sui languages . The Sui are organized around family clans . Villages usually have a few hundred inhabitants, most of whom have the same family name (Wei 2003:ix). Traditional Sui houses are usually made of fir or pine, although today the houses are increasingly made with bricks. There are three main types of traditional Sui housing (Wei 2003:ix): If

690-672: The history of Guizhou is marked by innumerable tensions and conflicts between the Han Chinese and non-Han minority groups. Today, many Kam are assimilating into mainstream Chinese society as rural Kam move into urban areas, resulting in intermarriage with the Han Chinese and the loss of the Kam language . However, various attempts to preserve Kam culture and language have been very successful, and improving living conditions in rural Guizhou may entice local Kam villagers to stay rather than move to major urban areas. The Kam language ( autonym : lix Gaeml )

720-462: The houses of those that were sick or close to death. The Sui religion has more than 900 ghosts and gods that can cause both good fortune or misfortune (Wei 2003:xxii). Some deities and legendary figures are also borrowed from Chinese folk religion . The Sui people have a wide array of taboos and superstitions, such as (Wei 2003:xxiv-xxv): (Only includes counties or county-equivalents containing >0.5% of China's Sui population.) Sui oral literature

750-519: The long run. The Qing developed extensive irrigation systems in the area and rice harvests increased significantly but this mostly benefited the local landlords. The Kam were further exploited after the first Opium War of 1840–1842 by western forces, capitalists, landlords, usurers and Qing officials. As a consequence of these events, many Kam helped or joined the Chinese Communists soon after its founding in 1921. They supplied food and resources to

780-572: The mythical figures of Song Sang, Song En, Zhang Liang, and Zhang Mei. However, the Kam have been influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism through historical contacts with the Han. This influence is mainly seen in regards to ancestor worship, funeral rites, and certain festivals like the Spring and Dragon Boat Festivals. The Kam also use rice grains, bamboo roots, snails, and chicken bone, eyes, blood, and eggs for divination. Today, Taoism , Buddhism , and to

810-569: The sounds of Kam words. A Latin alphabet was developed in 1958, but it is not much in use due to a lack of printed material and trained teachers. (Only includes counties or county-equivalents containing >1% of county population.) The Kam people are internationally renowned for their polyphonic choir singing, called Kgal Laox in the Kam language ( Chinese : 侗族大歌 ), which can be literally translated as Kam Grand Choir or Grand song in English. The Kam Grand Choir has been listed by UNESCO as

840-441: The taboos and superstitions are listed below. Rituals involving supernatural elements include dragon dances, spring buffalo dances, and fire prevention ceremonies where ash is placed in boats and sent downstream. Sorcery can be performed in private. There are many purposes of sorcery, such as repelling evil spirits, recovering the soul of a disturbed child, exacting revenge on enemies, and inducing love. Voodoo dolls, borrowed from

870-465: The title Shui . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shui&oldid=1154284090 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Shui people The Sui are descended from

900-514: The village leaders, although the government replaced these elders with village heads from 1911 to 1949. Kam society was also traditionally matriarchal, as can be evidenced by the cult of the goddess Sa Sui (Geary 2003:88). Before the advent of the Han Chinese, the Kam had no surnames, instead distinguishing each other by their fathers' names. Kam common law is known as kuan and is practiced at four levels. Traditional courtship consists of three phases: Weddings last three days and are first held at

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