Traditional Sports
The natural environment constrains the life ofthe Lahu people. Slash-and-burn mountain farming is their main model of production, but of low productivity. In order to survive and increase in number, hunting and gathering became essential living skills for the Lahu people, from which many traditional ethnic sports originated . In addition, the Lahu have developed excellent martial arts skills to protect themselves from wild animals and foreign invasion.
Although the harsh living conditions made the Lahu people work all day and be exhausted, the hardships do not stop people from socialization and love. At their leisure time, people would gather together to sing, dance and enjoy their rare spare time, which became another source of some Luhu’s traditional sports.
(1) Crossbow Shooting
Crossbow-shooting is one of the most distinctive sports of the Lahu. At the age of fourteen, Lahu teenage boys start their hunting career by carrying crossbows and arrows into the mountains with the elder people in the village. During festivals and spare time, they always practise crossbow-shooting to improve their skills and seek for pleasure.
There are various models of crossbows: large, medium and small. Some large models take two men to pull and have a long shooting range, which are used exclusively for hunting large animals. The quiver and the crossbow body are made of bamboo, and the arrows are placed in the bamboo cartridge to shoot. Double-arrow crossbow: two arrows can be shot at a time; single-arrow crossbow: one arrow can be shot at a time. There are different arrows.Some arrowheads are iron-tipped, which are extremely sharp, and some have barbs, which make it hard for preys to get free. Some arrowheads are poisoned, so that the target hit is unable to escape.
The competition includes fruit shooting, leaf shooting, and arrow-penetrated shooting.The competition could be village rivalry and individual rivalry, in both standing and kneeling positions. The distance to the target is negotiated and agreed between the two sides and the number of arrows shot at the target determines the winner,who will be awarded a prize.
In the arrow-penetrated shooting competition, a circle is drawn on a tall tree and three arrows are inserted. The archers aim at the target from about 50 meters away and shoot three arrows in quick succession to bring down all the arrows inserted in the tree. Those who are more skilled can also shoot the blade ofa knife, which splits the shaft ofthe arrow in half.
(2) Pole Climbing
Pole climbing is a traditional Lahu sport that takes place during the Gourd Festival[14].There are two models:
One is to cross a single-plank bridge, also known as a running pole. Suspended bamboo poles are placed over stones or bricks to form log bridges. At the start of the race,participants run from one end ofthe bamboo pole to the other, sometimes in one round trip,and whoever runs faster wins. If someone falls off on the way, he should start again from the starting point. There are many different forms of running pole: single runner, double crosser, and difficult manoeuvres such as carrying people across. This is a reflection of the long history ofthe Lahu people, who have gone through many hardships to settle down on the beautiful Lancang River.
The second is to climb pole. Two bamboos are chosen and food or fruit is placed on the branches. T he participants carry baskets on their back, with bare hands and feet. When they hear the starting direction, they set off and climb up the pole as quickly as they can to take the targets, the food and fruit, and put them into the baskets. The first one to return to the ground is the winner. The participants cannot use aids and the targets must be intact. This sport mainly reflects the hunting and gathering life ofthe Lahu people in the past. Through the competition, the winner is honored as the warrior ofthe Lahu people.
(3) Martial Arts
The Lahu boxing and weapons are widespread with its own unique styles. The popular Lahu boxing styles are as follows:
Free Boxing: a style of Imitation Boxing with the imitation of elephant posture and movement. It has slow attack and defense. The main moves are: pressing elbow with bow stance, double-punching fist, puncturing palm and slapping palm, pushing or butting with elbow in flexed foot step, pushing up with horse-riding step, big hook, and double-pressing elbow and so on.
Tiger Style Boxing: a style of Imitation Boxing with the imitation of tiger posture and movement. The moves are realistic and concise, but there are only 12 movess in the set.
Duck Style Boxing: a style of Imitation Boxing. Duck Style Boxing is the imitation of the ducks’ postures and movements both in water and on land and the combination of the techniques of martial arts. The imitated movements include the duck spreading its wings,nodding its head, pecking from side to side, swimming and shaking the water. It’s of great fun to practise.
Cock Style Boxing: a style of Imitation Boxing. By imitate the cock’s fighting, the posture and movement of a cock in life; Cock Style Boxing has the characteristics of swift and ingenious movement and diverse hand and foot techniques.
The main Lahu weapons are as follows:
Lahu Wand techniques: It is also called shoulder pole techniques. The complete set of 14 moves is concise, practical, flexible and skilful.
The techniques of protecting against wild beast by hand broadsword: The whole set of 12 moves focuses on defense. It includes blocking over head with broadsword in flexed foot step, chopping with broadsword in semi-horse-riding stance, lifting the knee to cut horizontally with broadsword, rotating broadsword horizontally, lifting the knee to parry upward with broadsword, lifting the knee to hide broadsword and so on.
Knife techniques: The Lahu knife is shaped like a dagger. With three knives in each hand,the Lahu people practiced the whole set in a flexible way. The movements are both offensive and defensive.
Nunchakus: It is used to coil body or neck, push or butt opponent’s elbow.
(4) Throwing Bags
The Lahu have a custom of“throwing bags”. The bags are sewn with colorful cloth and stuffed with chaff or sand, and in the shape of small triangles. At moonlit nights during the Chinese New Year, the young men and women ofthe Kucong[15] throw the bags for fun.The unmarried young men standing on the one side and women on the other, about 6-9 meters apart, throw bags to each other, hoping the beloved one could catch the bag. It is a sporting activity of young Lahu men and women to convey their affection to each other.On the first and second days of the Spring Festival, well dressed Lahu youth takethe game ofthrowing bags as an opportunity to choose a lover. Ifthe young man catches the bag and does not return it, which means he likes the woman who throws the bag. And the woman would exchange money and goods for the bag if she dose not like the man. It is lucky that two could fall on each other. The more times they throw and catch the bag, the shorter their distance will become, and the closer their hearts will get to each other, then they leave to seek for solitude.
(5) Swing
The swing is a sports activity of the Lahu people during the Spring Festival. The ropes are generally made ofwild rattan. The swing set is about 12 meters high and is made offour tall trees or bamboos. The swing requires participants’ strength in arms, legs, and abdomen.Ofcourse, courage and ability ofdealing with emergency are also essential. It can be played by a single person or in pairs, usually by a man and a woman. Here is a tale from the Lahu:“ There is no skill in playing on the swing, as long as you have a good abdominal strength.If a man and a woman fall in love with each other, they can express the true feelings on the swing.” It can be seen that the swing is a good activity for young men and women of the Lahu to exchange their feelings.
(6) Whipping Tops
Whipping tops is a traditional exercise and widely practiced amomg the Lahu ethnic group. Before the Chinese New Year, young and middle-aged Lahu people cut down the Pistacia weinmannifolia in mountains tomake tops. Women prepare solid top strings for their men and children so that they can win others, from which the respect will be gained.The players generally range from more than a dozen people to dozens of people for each team, and the two teams ofthe same number ofpeople will play the game. Each team has a skilled person as the leader.
Game rules: The members in Team A whips the target top to the ground in turn, called the defender; Team B’s members take turns to whip the top to hit the target top from a certain distance, called the attacker. Ifthe target top is knocked down and stopsrotating, the attacker wins and gets one point. Finally the leader plays the top. If the leader fails to hit the target top, the points ofthis team will be reset. The game restarts. The winner is the one whohas the highest score. This sports activity is mostly held in the village, and there are also matches between the villages.
(7) Rooster-feather Ball
Rooster-feather ball is tied with palm leaves, a big head a thin waist, and 3 rooster feathers on the bottom. It is flexible and looks like a badminton. This double-player or multiplayer game is played by young men and women. Pulling a rattan in the middle ofthefield or putting a bamboo on the ground as the median line. One side throws the ball to the other side, and the other side hits it back with the palm. Any side who can attack the ball to the ground ofthe opponent’s field is the winner.