Traditional Sports
The sports culture of the Pumi people has distinct regional and ethnic features. Its emergence and development are closely related to the natural environment, modes of production and religious belief ofthis group. And its form and content are characterized by the nomadic life.
The Pumi people live in deep mountains, so, men have a habit of always carrying bows and crossbows. When they traverse the forests in which wild animals often appear,the bows and crossbows are not only the weapons for self-defense, but also equipment for hunting. The Pumi people are gradually proficient at skills of shooting crossbows with time goes by, developing into the sport activity, crossbow-shooting, later. In order to adapt to the life in high mountains and near torrents, they have to learn a variety of life skills such as running, jumping, climbing and so on. These skills have evolved into diversified sports. The productive activities of this group bear the feature of nomadic culture: they often ride horses. That makes horse racing become one of the traditional sports ofthe Pumi. In addition, these people organize horse racing and crossbow-shooting competitions as recreational activities for the masses during festivals, for which these sports are very popular. They also enjoy playing the Moqiu swing for celebrating the good harvest annually. Therefore, some sports activities are also connected with the traditional festivals.
(1) Crossbow-Shooting
The targets used in crossbow-shooting of the Pumi range from a fried Baba (Yunnan pancake) to a slice of bacon. The target that is hit can be obtained by the shooter. Finally,whoever gets the maximum amount offried Babas and sliced meat is the best crossbowman.He can win not only prizes, but also people’s respect.
(2) Wrestling
Wrestling is usually held on holidays or festivals. With unique skills and various forms,it is a kind of sports activity loved by the Pumi men. It is surprising that the participants are in the 10-70 age range. This kind of wrestling can be held as a formal event or just a recreational activity. The formal competition, on the one hand, is held by several villages together, and the participants are selected among representatives from each village.The victor can win honor and praise for his village or family. On the other hand, as a recreational activity, the game ofwrestling is not limited by the time and venues. Usually, a man challenges the other one to show his power, so as to let all villagers know his ability.
The ways of the Pumi wrestling are: a participant clasps the opponent’ arms tightly and then twists the adversary’s waist to make the other fall down; or one person holds and twists the opponent’s waist and then sticks out a leg to trip the other up. Whoever makes the adversary fall down to the ground is the winner. The wrestling ofthe Pumi adopts the three game oftwo victory system.
(3) Horse Racing
The Pumi people inhabit highlands and mountainous areas. They are proud of the developed animal husbandry and good at raising horses. Horse racing is a traditional sport for this ethnic group, which is usually held during festivals. The racecourse was built on the meadow near the village. On the day of the race, umpires should check the horses one by one. They have to figure out whether the saddle is fixed on the horse’s back and the reins are fastened around its neck firmly, so that riders can avoid injuries caused by a fall.And then, the youth lead their well-groomed horses into the venue, standing at the starting point in order. The young riders, like lions getting ready for sprinting, mount the horses once a trumpet sounds. After hearing sounds of gunfire three times, they lash the horses to gallop as arrows that fly in the vast grassland. Whoever reaches the finishing line first is the winner. The elders in the village will present bows, arrows and souvenirs to the victors after the race. And then the old men offer congratulations to the participants and encourage them to make further efforts.
(4) Playing the Moqiu
On the last day ofthe lunar year, the Pumi people erect a Moqiu in the village annually.The activity ofplaying the Moqiu lasts for four days. Moqiu is a wooden post with a morethan-one-meter height, which is erected on the field. A log that can be rotated up and down, left and right is fixed on the top of the post. When playing this game, two groups of the participants sit on the both ends of the log, and the number of the two teams should be equal. The people sitting on one end must step hard on the ground to produce a kind of momentum, and then the log on the Moqiu will rotate. All the participants can perform all kinds of actions and poses. The group who performs well can win applause of the audiences.