Traditional Sports
Jingpo people are hard-working and brave. They are good at singing and dancing, and love sports as well. The Jingpo people regard their sports as part of the social culture.Like literature and art, it is an embodiment of real life because it reflects real life through concrete, vivid and touching artistic images. The Jingpo traditional sports, created by the Jingpo people during the long-term historical development in order to meet the needs of production and existence, are an important part ofthe Jingpo cultural treasury. It embodiess the Jingpo people’s wisdom and invincible ethnic spirit. Jingpo traditional sports originated from these following sources:
First, from labor production. The Jingpo people are a very laborious people. They created some traditional sports which involve in daily work.
Second, from the Jingpo customs and habits. The Jingpo have many peculiar festivals,special customs of sacrifices, funeral, marriage, and etc. Sports like copper cannon gun shooting and “Shengdiedie”(targeting practice) evolve from Jingpo customs.
Third, from the ancient military activities. The Jingpo people used to live in places encompassed by dense woods and bamboos, where fowls and beasts often infested. In order to protect themselves from the fierce animals, Jingpo ancestors began to use long swords and practice swords skills and passed the skills from generation to generation. In addition,the Jingpo people lived in the frontier of the mainland of China. They revolted against the British imperialist invaders with their long swords, defending the honor of the motherland and the dignity ofthe nation. In the anti-Japanese war, the Jingpo people also fought bravely against Japanese aggression. For a very long time, many Jingpo people devoted their life to defend the integrity of our motherland, and wrote a glorious chapter in the modern history of China. Since then, Jingpo long swords have been famous at home and abroad. Today,Jingpo traditional sword art has gradually turned into a fitness activity.
(1) Swordsmanship
The Jingpo is tightly bound to the sword. In Jingpo language, the sword is called“Ri En Tu”, which means “sword of life”. Any Jingbo newly-born boy will receive his maternal grandparents’ gift-- a long sword. He begins to carry a sword at the age of 5 or 6,and a long sword at the age of 7 or 8. A sword will be with him in the rest of all his life.The long sword is 70-80cm long, with a wide top and a narrow base. The handle is mostly decorated with copper and silverware. Each long sword is equipped with a scabbard made of high-grade wood. For the Jingpo people, the long sword is not only a tool of production, but also a defensive weapon; it is not only a gift for a friend, but also a love token. They hold it in high esteem and regard it as a symbol of the ethnic character and spirit. When they are young, the Jingpo men are taught swordsmanship by their fathers.People have the tradition of practicing martial arts. There may be a bonny boxer in a village. Swordsmanship performance and competition are common sports activities in the Jingpo area.
The swordsmanship competition is quite fascinating. The scale can be large or small, and there are different game modes such as one-to-one, one-to-two, one-to-three, etc. Usually,wooden swords rather than metallic ones are adopted for a competition because either player is not allowed to wound the other’s body. The aim of swordmanship competition is mutual learning. A few venerable old men are generally invited to the competition as referees. They announce rules ofthe game, supervise the process and finally make ajudgment. Two highly respected women propose a toast to the winner for congratulations and as an embodiment of the enhancement in his status and prestige.
(2) Da Tang Die
Da Tang Die is a term of Jingpo language, which means target shooting. In old times,the Jingpo people used copper gun to hunt and defend themselves. Almost every family in Jingpo villages owned a copper gun. Today, the Jingpo live in a much more stable and peaceful living environment than before. The copper gun is mostly used for entertainment.Accordingly, target shooting has become a popular physical activity.
Da Tang Die is often held during “En Xian Xian[21]”, the Jingpo New Year. The activity is chaired by prestigious villagers. The girls put coins, cooked meat, eggs or other favorite items in well-sewn small cloth bags and tie the bags to the linen thread hung on the branches. The players, young men can only shoot at the threads rather than the bags. After determining an optimal range, they start shooting at the threads one by one. Those who hit the target are honored as “sharpshooters” and will get the item in the small cloth bag,respectively. Also, a sharpshooter can love the owner ofthe corresponding bag and chooses her as his mate. Target shooting is a beneficial physical activity, and a special social activity in which young men and ladies can match and show love for their lover.
(3) Bamboo Pole Twisting
Bamboo pole twisting is a type ofphysical activity of strength, and most of the players are men. Bamboo pole twisting requires no special conditions. First ofall, it is necessary to prepare a bamboo pole 2m long and as wide as the rim ofa bowl. The players stand or squat at either end ofthe bamboo pole and hold the end with their hands. Well prepared, they will twist the bamboo pole at the same time but to opposite directions. Bamboo pole twisting is classified into two types: standing and squatting. For either type, the other side will win the game if any player ofthe one side has his foot or hand move. Sometimes the bamboo pole may be twisted off ifboth players are ofgreat strength.
(4) Bamboo Pole Pushing
Bamboo pole pushing is often carried out with bamboo pole twisting. The bamboo pole used for twisting can also be applied to pushing, and the way is roughly the same. However,bamboo pole pushing concerns not only the strength in the waist, leg, abdomen and arm, but also skills. The players stand face to face on the two ends ofthe bamboo pole, each holding one end ofthe bamboo pole. When holding the bamboo pole with both hands in tandem, they will get their abdomen close to the corresponding end ofthe pole, try their best to bend both legs and lean forward slightly. At the sound ofthe starting pistol, both sides exert themselves to push the bamboo pole toward each other, and the one who is pushed out ofthe line fails.
(5) La La
“La La” is a Jingpo phrase. It is also called “Luo Lang Lang” by the Jingpo people. It is a dual sport event that is generally held on the Eve of Spring Festival. When night falls, the young men and ladies play “Luo Lang Lang” in the mountains. The young men and ladies are divided into two mixed groups. Two parallel lines are drawn on the ground about 66 cm apart as the dividing lines, sometimes objects are put to replace the line. Then, a man steps out of one group while a lady steps out ofthe other group. The two players pull each other with one hand until one is pulled across the line and fails. Ifthe lady fails, a male teammate will take the field, ifthe male fails, a female teammate will take the field.