Monba Ethnic Group: Close connection with the Tibetans

The Moinbas have lived at the edge of the Tibetan region for generations, and have always taken the Tibetan region and Tibetans as their companions. In the 7th century, the Tibetan Royal Court exercised control over the Menyu region; In the 14th to 15th century, the region was a hereditary territory for the Pazhu Gaju Denomination (a denomination of the Lamaism); In the middle of the 15th century, the fifth Dalai Lama sent officials to Menyu to carry forward doctrines of the Gelu Denomination, and began to carry out rule with combination of religion and politics. The Moinbas believe in Lamaism like Tibetans do, they celebrate Tibetan religious festivals, take Pulu as main dress material, eat roasted highland barley flour, drink buttered tea and highland barley wine and many even know Tibetan language and writing. Of course, as a nationality with small population, the Moinba nationality was identified as a minority group by the state on the basis of full scientific evidence. The Moinbas have their common religion, common economy, common language, common culture and psychology, and common national consciousness.

Let’s take only several unique customs as examples to express characters of the Moinbas. Moinba women in the north of Menyu used to carry a complete calf fur out of the robe, with the hair inside and the skin toward outside. The neck of the fur is toward upside, the tail is down and skin of the limbs stretch out to the two side of body. People in the locality regard it as beautiful adornment, and they wear a new calf fur as rich dress when in festivals or visiting relatives and friends. When Moinba men go out in normal times, they carry chopper or short knife with sheath on their waist. Carrying chopper is a character got from living in mountain forest. In Moinba diet, what is different from the Tibetans is that there are less meat and more vegetable, and vegetable in mostly cooked in stone pot and is mixed with salt, milk residue and chili to make mush for eating. Moinba men and women like to eat chili very much. Moinbas in Motuo make wine by themselves with millet, which has the same shape as chicken’s talons. When entertaining guests, the male host should accompany the drinking and the female host should pour wine and propose toasts. Once the guest drink a mouthful of wine, the host should pour wine in time, and the host can’t stop pouring until the guest get drunk.

Because the custom is that if the guest doesn’t get drunk, he or she is looking down upon the host. If the guest stay and sleep there, the host should accompany and chat with the guest, and he or she can’t leave to rest first until the guest sleep. When guests come, family members shouldn’t cross before guests casually, and they must bend forward and make a detour behind guests when they have to go around. If guests bring presents, the host should not only express thankfulness, but also send a gift in return. The Moinba is a brotherly nationality that is warm, hospitable and full of ceremony and propriety.