Sino-Platonic Papers, 61 (December 1994)

Tales from China's Forest Hunters: Oroqen Folktales

by Kevin Stuart and LI Xuewei

Introduction

The folk literature of China's minority populations has been little studied. One reason for this is a lack of folk literature collections available in English translation. Presented here is a body of folk accounts of the Oroqen, one of the least populous of China's officially recognized 55 minorities. In 1990 the Oroqen population of 6,900 was scattered in several locations: Oroqen Autonomous Banner, established October 1, 1951, and located in Hulunboir League of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; Morin Daawa Dagur Autonomous Banner, also in Inner Mongolia; and in Xunke, Aihui, and Jiayin Counties of Heilongjiang Province.

Oroqen speak a Tungusic language, which is part of the Altaic language family. Historically, they were hunters. However, with the deforestation of vast areas of land where they have traditionally lived, many no longer hunt. As with many minority groups in China, it is likely that, as time passes, the Oroqen will not only lose their language, but also their stock of folk literature.

There are many problems with folk literature anthologies in China. Especially in the years just after the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), folk literature was often "rewritten and polished " to sanitize it and to give it a class "consciousness." Additionally, compilers and editors were often paid on a "per character basis," which led to the addition of much extraneous "filling." This is obvious in this collection with Searching for the Sun, which is a thinly disguised paean to the Communist Party. Nevertheless, we have included it to give some illustration of what is represented as folk literature in China. Though it is unlikely such selections will stand the test of time as authentic folk literature, they are important materials for analyzing the history of minority folklore study in China.

Origin of Man and Fire

Long ago the Greater Hinggan Mountains were covered with immense forests vaster than the eye could see. Towering trees shut out the sky covering the earth and how wonderful it was! However, a blemish in this perfection was that the area was without people. The celestial Enduri, thought ; his wouldn't do, people being everywhere else, so he collected bird bones and flesh from which he began making 10 men and 10 women. While making the women, after having made the men, his supply of bird bones and flesh was exhausted. He then used some soil. The earth women were weak, so Enduri gave them strength through his magical powers and they were much stronger than men. How could this be! Enduri considered and then withdrew some of their strength by invoking his power.

At first, the 10 men and 10 women were hairy, knew nothing about clothing, and could run at lightning speed, because they had no patellae. Day and night they ran through forests with 10 deer, 20 moose, and 50 leopards which were also created by Enduri. Bows and arrows didn't exist then, but these people easily preyed on beasts because they could run at lightning speed. As a result, beasts created by Enduri were all soon slain and eaten. Irritated, the sound of Enduri' s ire was thunder, which caused the startled men and women to run away. But Enduri caught up with them after taking only a few steps. It is said that the 10 men and 10 women were the original Oroqen.

To distinguish between men and beasts, Enduri scalded the people with boiling water to remove their hair. But hair under the arms and around their mouths survived the scalding. Seeing they were ugly without hair, Enduri put hair on their heads and taught them to sew and dress.

At that time they lived in caverns and used no fire, eating raw mushrooms when in hunger and sucking sap from birch bark when thirsty .To control the speed of their legs Enduri gave them salt to eat and their patellae then gradually grew and they were unable to run as fast as before. Relieved, Enduri sent other beasts to this place once more. But the people could not catch the beasts because of their slowness, so they learned to hunt using stones and cudgels. They also learned to make stone scrapers in order to strip skins from game....

It is not known how many thousands of years passed. One year, a volcano erupted and roaring flames leapt up, filling the air with smoke. The fire raged and could not be extinguished. Even Enduri, whose power was limitless, was impotent. The fire grew more fierce and scorched surrounding trees and beasts, burning many to death. Descendants of the original 10 men and 10 women found fire could warm people and that burned meat was more delicious than raw meat. Afterwards, they learned to use fire to cook meat and warm themselves. They invented many methods to use fire. For example, they heated stones, put them in a birch bark bucket, and added water and meat in order to cook the meat. Another example was filling the insides of large animal bones with meat and liquid and then heating them. When the liquid boiled the meat was cooked. They also learned to keep live cinders. A mushroom was dried in the sun and then kindled. In this way, fire could be kept.

The ancestors treasured fire, because it could be used for cooking, warmth, and light. It elicited an incomparable affection. One day a beautiful woman with her child sat by a fire deep in the forest warming themselves. The mother asked her innocent and artless child, "Child, your mother and the fire -- which is more precious to you?" The child replied without the least hesitation, "The fire, because even a day without fire makes me feel more unwell than not eating and drinking!" The mother appreciated the fact that her son had spoken truly. You can thus understand the important position fire occupied in ancient people's minds.

The Flood

A widow lived with her son, who began hunting at the age of nine. Once he caught an animal, but he didn't know what it was. His mother identified it and, in time, he learned about all the animals with his mother's help. He was clever and, as the years passed, he grew into a fine young man and a famous hunter.

When he was 17 he asked, "Mother, I've never seen my father. Did I ever have one?" Sadly his mother answered, "Yes, but he died before you were born."

As time passed his mother became older and feebler. Concernedly the son said, "Mother, when may I marry? If you had a daughter-in-law, you'll not need to work so hard and you can enjoy a happy life." His mother replied, "Well, after we save enough money. " The son insisted that he marry immediately and his mother finally agreed and, for two horses, three buckets of liquor, and one bear, she managed to engage her son.

Less than 2 years later the mother died. One day after her death, when the son was hunting, he found an old woman sitting in the forest. He asked, "Grandma, why do you weep here?" "I outlived all the rest of my family," she said. "My mother just passed away so if you like, you may be my mother," said the young hunter. Then the old woman lived with the young man and his wife. The old woman was too old to care for herself. She often wet the bed and dirtied her clothes with excrement, which angered the wife. The young hunter then washed the old woman's clothes by himself.

One day the old woman said to him, "Sell your two horses." Surprised, he asked why. But she only said, "Don't ask, just sell them for some paper -- not for money." He then went to market and exchanged the horses for paper. The next morning the paper was gone and the old woman asked him to exchange their pigs for paper. He did so and the next morning this paper was also gone. The next day she said to sell his hound and he did so and paper he got in the trade also vanished. The next morning, he arose early. The old woman was not in the home. He finally found her at the river, sitting by a paper boat. She smiled and said, "You are honest and kind-hearted. Only good men should live. A flood is coming. Get in this boat. Remember that you may rescue a rabbit, but not a woman," and then she vanished. The moment he stepped into the boat large waves flooded the land. After some days he saw someone struggling in the water. It was his wife. Forgetting the old woman's warning he pulled her into the boat. She shouted, "This boat can't carry the two of us, you jump in the water!" But when she tried to push her husband overboard, the boat rolled and she was pitched into the water.

The next morning the young man saw a rabbit drifting towards him and, recalling the old woman's last words, he rescued it. A few days passed and the water receded. He went ashore with the rabbit, built a hut, and then hunted. Strangely, when he returned he found delicious food cooked and waiting for him. He wondered who had done this and, the next day, he pretended to go out, but actually, he hid near the hut. Soon he saw a beautiful young woman busily preparing dinner. When she went to fetch water, he slipped into the hut and found a rabbit fur on the bed. He realized that the rabbit had changed into the beauty .He hid the fur. When the beauty returned she wept over the loss of the fur. He wiped away her tears and proposed marriage. Their children were the forefathers of the Oroqen.