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Oroqen | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| c.9,168 (est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| China:Heilongjiang,Inner Mongolia | |
 China | 9,168 (2020 census)[1][2] |
| Languages | |
| Oroqen,Chinese | |
| Religion | |
| Shamanism,Tibetan Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Evens,Evenks, otherTungusic peoples | |
TheOroqen orOrochen people (Oroqen:ɔrɔtʃeen;simplified Chinese:鄂伦春族;traditional Chinese:鄂倫春族;pinyin:Èlúnchūnzú;Mongolian:Orčun) are anethnic group in northernChina. They form one of the56 ethnic groups officially recognized by thePeople's Republic of China.[3]: 1.6 The Oroqen people are largely concentrated in the northern Chineseprovinces ofHeilongjiang andInner Mongolia, which are home to 45.54% and 41.94% of the 8,259 Oroqen people living in China. TheOroqen Autonomous Banner is also located in Inner Mongolia.
The Oroqens are mainly hunters, and customarily use animal fur and skins for clothing. Many of them have given up hunting and adhered to laws that aimed to protect wildlife in the People's Republic of China. The government has provided modern dwellings for those who have left behind the traditional way of life.[4] The Oroqen are represented in the People's Congress by their own delegate and are a recognizedethnic minority.
In theRussian Empire, various peoples in various places were called Orochen (Russian:Ороченъ;orthography before Soviet reform), in several variants (орочон, орончон, орочен). One of the most commonly accepted hypotheses is that the term is derived from the Manchu language: орунчунь (orunchun) meaning "deer people", or "deer herders" (cf. pinyin "Èlúnchūn"). This is not a self-naming of these peoples, but anexonym, i.e., assigned to them by Manchu, Tungus, or Russians, sometimes due to misunderstanding.[5] Therefore old documents speaking aboutorochon/orochen must be considered cautiously.
TheOroqen language is aNorthern Tungusic language. Their language is very similar to theEvenki language and it is believed that speakers of these two languages can understand 70% of the other language.[citation needed] Their language is still unwritten; however, the majority of the Oroqen are capable of reading and writingChinese, and some can also speak theDaur language.
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The Oroqen (MongolianGuruchin) are one of the oldest ethnic groups in northeast China. Theendonymoroqen means "people who keep reindeer,reindeer herder(s)." The ancestor of the Oroqen originally lived in the vast area south of theOuter Khingan Mountains and north ofHeilongjiang.
They once formed part of the ancient people known as theShiwei. In the 17th century, following invasions by theRussian Empire, some Oroqens moved to the area near theGreater andLesser Khingan Mountains.
During theJapanese occupation of Manchuria, the Oroqen suffered a significant population decline. The Japanese distributed opium among them and subjected some members of the community to human experiments, and combined with incidents of epidemic diseases this caused their population to decline until only 1,000 remained.[6][7][8][9] The Japanese banned Oroqen from communicating with other ethnicities, and forced them to hunt animals for them in exchange for rations and clothing which were sometimes insufficient for survival, which lead to deaths from starvation and exposure. Opium was distributed to Oroqen adults older than 18 as a means of control. After 2 Japanese troops were killed in Alihe by an Oroqen hunter, the Japanese poisoned 40 Oroqen to death.[10] The Japanese forced Oroqen to fight for them in the war which led to a population decrease of Oroqen people.[11] Even those Oroqen who avoided direct control by the Japanese found themselves facing conflict from anti-Japanese forces of the Chinese Communists, which also contributed to their population decline during this period.[10]
Following the expulsion of the Japanese from Manchuria, the Oroqen came under suspicion from the Chinese Communists as counterrevolutionaries and were subjected to persecution, particularly during theCultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976. Some Oroqen were driven to suicide due to intense interrogation by Chinese Communist authorities, as well as having to endure public humiliations and beatings.[12]
The Oroqen areexogamous, only marriages among members of different clans being permitted.
The traditional dwelling is called asierranju (Chinese:斜仁柱;pinyin:xiérénzhù) and is covered in the summer withbirch bark and in the winter with deer furs. These dwellings have conical forms and are made out of 20 to 30 pine sticks. The dwellings are usually about six meters in diameter and five meters in height. In the centre a fire is placed that serves as a kitchen, as well as a source of lighting. Birch bark is an important raw material in the traditional culture alongside the furs. It serves for the preparation of containers of all types, from the manufacture of cradles to boats. With respect to the reindeer herding of the Evenki, Oroqen and Nanai, which all shared the use of birch bark, it can be said that these cultures are part of a "birch bark" culture.
Traditional clothing was primarily made from deer or seal skin, and stitching was done using needles andsinew (animal tendons). In particular, winter garments required fur linings, which were essential for surviving the extreme cold.
The Oroqen is now among China's most highly educated ethnic groups. 23.3% of the ethnic group received college education, only less thanRussian Chinese,Chinese Tatars andNanais. 19.2% received only primary school education or less, only higher thanKoreans, Russian Chinese and Nanais.[3]
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Until the early 1950s the main religion of the nomadic Oroqen wasshamanism. In the summer of 1952 cadres of theChinese Communist Party coerced the leaders of the Oroqen to give up their "superstitions" and abandon any religious practices. These tribal leaders,Chuonnasuan (Meng Jin Fu) andZhao Li Ben, were also powerful shamans. The special community ritual to "send away the spirits" and beg them not to return was held over three nights inBaiyinna and inShibazhan.
The last living shaman of the Oroqen, Chuonnasuan (Chinese:孟金福;pinyin:Mèng Jīn Fú), died at the age of 73 on 9 October 2000. His life, initiatory illness, and training as a shaman are detailed in a published article, also available online.[13][14]
Chuonnasuan was the last living shaman who practiced his craft prior to the communist banishment of such "superstitions" in this region in 1952. Over three nights in July 1952, in several separate communities, the Oroqen peoples held rituals in which they begged the spirits to leave them forever. Evidence for and enhancement of auditory (spirit songs) and visualmental imagery during altered states of consciousness can be found in Chuonnasuan's account of his practice of shamanism. Noteworthy is that he reported performing only one ritual journey to the lower world, which he calledBuni. This term for the lowerworld or land of the dead is identical to that used by theNanai people of Siberia in accounts of shamans collected almost a century ago.[15] Sacrifices to ancestral spirits are still routinely made, and there is a folk psychological belief in animism.
Traditionally the Oroqen have a special veneration for animals, especially thebear and thetiger, which they consider their blood brothers. The tiger is known to them aswutaqi, which means "elderly man", while the bear isamaha, which means "uncle“.
For tourism and other cultural activities, there are presently three new museums in the Autonomous Banner, one of which is dedicated to The Northern Wei Dynasty.[16]
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Underlined: the 56 officially recognised ethnic groups ranked by population in their language families according to2020 census | |||||||||||
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