Hani People's Awe to Nature: "AngMaTu"

"AngMaTu", also known as "LongBa Festival", usually comes soon after "MiSuoZha". It is one of the holiest festivals in Hani custom, for it is a sacrifice done to the most powerful protector of the village--the god of "Long", with "AngMa" as his name. Usually, "AngMaTu" begins right away after "MiSuoZha"; but in those villages, on which deaths, of either people or large animals, happen to fall during that period; the holy event is forbidden to put on show.

Nevertheless, as long as every thing is going on well, "AngMaTu" is held at the "Long Forest" right behind the village. "Long Forest" is a small wood of the most valuable scenery in the village, used for "AngMa" to rest himself. The sacrifice is conducted by several respectful male adults whose families are rich of fortune and offspring. Under the lead of "LongTou" (leader of the small group to conduct the sacrifice), they come in to the "Long Forest", immolate certain animals as sacrifices to the god of the village; praying that the village could get his blessing and protection and get advanced in safe and peace. Only these several male adults in this unique period are allowed to get into the "Long Forest" to work on this sacrificing event; any other villagers, neither in common days nor during any kinds of festival, can never get the permission to come into it. If someone has broken into it or ruined the woods or grasses in it, either on purpose or by mistake, he is believe to have acted bold and rude behaviors and affronted the god of the village. Thus, the whole village is in danger of facing awful consequences and the person is on duty to make compensate for his wrongly doing behavior by immolating animals to sacrifice the god; otherwise, he would be driven out of the village.

As a special organization, the leader of the group, say, "LongTou" is not fixed on one person but change and be selected every three years by voting in the village. The requirement for "LongTou"'s voting includes: he must be aged over 50, and is the eldest of his family with both male and female offspring; he has only married once in his life and has never done anything of disrepute; he is capable of judging and speaking affairs reasonably as well as of great ability to organize events. His responsibility lies on: holding all the events, especially sacrificing events, in the village; responsible for designing rules and obligations and planning the development of the village; make sure that all aspects of the village life, including its people, animals, and harvests, will advance to the best extent and avoid any bad affects of weather.

It's easy to see from Hani people's awe to Nature in "AngMaTu" that, their god is exactly the god of Nature; the relationship between god and man, and that of man and Nature, are exactly the same.

The time for "AngMaTu" diverse from one subgroup to another; for example, it happens in November in NaHa area, but in GuiNeng, a large Hani village close to the town Mojiang, people hold it in around April. Some villages, like YiMa, progress it exactly according to the traditional rules; but in other villages, like GuiNeng, people do it more flexibly and openly.

 (Edit:Ruby)