Hasenqiqige

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Hasenqiqige, Female, Unspecified, from Ewenkezuzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia, is a third-batch national representative bearer of Ewenkeqiangshu (Ⅵ-40). The tradition is documented in Ewenkezuzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia. Within the regional tradition and school record of Ewenkeqiangshu in Ewenkezuzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia: The transmission and practice of Qiangshu centers on the grassland pastoral areas along the Hui River and Yimin River within the Evenk Autonomous Banner and on the Evenk-inhabited villages at the western foot of the Greater Khingan Mountains; the sumu towns of Bayan Tohoi, Yimin, and Huihe are the main areas of distribution. Relying locally on Qiangshu associations and primary and secondary schools for organization, competitions are arranged at the Oboo gathering, the Naadam, and the Sibin Festival, as well as in school ethnic physical education classes, so that this grassland game is gradually becoming an event with fixed rules. Legend has it that when Evenk ancestors were herding their lele carts across the grassland in migration, the wooden locking pin (the 'shu') of one wheel fell out and the caravan could not move on. Everyone searched for it, and when it was found they vied to seize it back and to be the first to fit it onto the axle. This scene was reenacted again and again, gradually evolving into a competitive game, and it became a way for the Evenk people to commemorate their migrating life with the lele carts.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Female, of Ewenki ethnicity, born in August 1949 in the Ewenki Autonomous Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. A performer of the Ewenki qiangshu (pole-snatching) sport. She is currently president of the Ewenki Banner Qiangshu Association and has held numerous lectures, devoting herself to publicising and popularising the sport. She has persisted year after year in going deep into the pastoral areas and rooting herself at the grassroots, teaching qiangshu to the children of the Ewenki grasslands and organising children's qiangshu competitions. She has actively promoted the establishment of an Ewenki qiangshu base in local primary schools, publicising and popularising the sport. Within the documented technical tradition of Ewenkeqiangshu in Ewenkezuzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia: Evenk Qiangshu (axle-pin grabbing) is a traditional folk athletic game, circulating mainly in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. 'Shu' means 'pin' in the Evenk language: it refers to the reinforced wooden locking pin on the axle of the lele cart used by nomadic peoples to keep the wheels from falling off. 'Tineng' means 'to grab' in the Evenk language; hence Qiangshu is also called 'Shu Tineng' in Evenk. Qiangshu is especially suited to nomadic life in mountain and grassland regions: a single family or several families can gather for recreation and competition, and people from the elderly down to teenagers can all take part in the grappling in their own ways. Qiangshu has a long history. In the Hulunbuir grassland and the Greater Khingan Mountains where Evenk people live, whenever the Oboo gathering, the Naadam, or the Sibin Festival is held, Qiangshu is staged together with wrestling, horse racing, archery, and other events. Qiangshu matches require players to have good running ability, quick reactions, strong arms and grip, and sound wrestling technique. In a Qiangshu match there is both rugby-style contention and strength-based grappling and grabbing. The game gathers together many of the skills of the Evenk people's daily nomadic and hunting life and, through its unique form of competition, forges the strong physique and resolute, courageous character of the Evenk people. It is deeply loved by the Evenk people and has also been accepted by brother ethnic groups such as the Mongols, the Daur, and the Oroqen. It is a traditional sport that combines ideological, educational, and recreational value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Shu: the cart's axle pin": In Evenki the word means pin: the wooden key that keeps a cart wheel from slipping off its axle, the object contested in the game. "Shu ti neng": As the Evenki word for seizing, ti neng gives the game its alternative name, seizing the pin. "Oboo, Nadam and Sebin festivals": At oboo gatherings, Nadam and the Sebin festival the game is held alongside wrestling, horse racing and archery. "Running, grip and wrestling skill": The game demands running, quick reactions, arm and grip strength and wrestling, mixing rugby-like scrums with trials of strength.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

Representative bearer of Ewenkeqiangshu, a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. She has long been engaged in the recovery, publicising, promotion and protection of qiangshu, masters its rules and techniques, and, while inheriting the tradition, has developed the folk game into a competitive athletic event conforming to modern competition rules.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Hasenqiqige · National Representative Bearer Archive