Mangumei
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Mangumei, Female, Oroqen, from Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Oroqen Paopi Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-112). The tradition is documented in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia. Within the regional tradition and school record of Oroqen Paopi Making Craftsmanship in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia: This craft is especially concentrated in the Oroqen Autonomous Banner of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, whose land borders Hulunbuir and the Greater Khingan Range forest region of Heilongjiang to the north; winters are long and severe, and roe-deer hide became almost an irreplaceable cold-weather article. The practices of the various tribal villages within the autonomous banner are not uniform: villages in the mountains take hides mostly from the roe-deer neck and back so as to cut pieces along the grain; villages near the river valleys value more the large-format piecing of quilt covers and decorative patterns—whether a girl is deft of hand is something the whole village can tell. Hide-working is tightly meshed with the Oroqen hunting rhythm: spring and autumn are the seasons for taking pelts, and only in the winter slack is there time to spread a whole hide out to tan—this dictates that the transmission of the craft can only take place in specific periods each year. The skill can only be passed from master to apprentice by word of mouth; a single hide, from cut pieces to being sewn into a quilt cover, often spans a whole year. As long as the hides are preserved, so too are the things made from them, and thus this craft is at the same time a record without writing.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Mangumei is anchored in the documented technical standards of Oroqen Paopi Making Craftsmanship in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia. Within the documented technical tradition of Oroqen Paopi Making Craftsmanship in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia: The Oroqen ethnic group's animal-hide crafting craft is a unique handcraft of the northern hunting peoples of our country, with a strong ethnic and regional character. The Oroqen people have lived by hunting for generations, long eating beast meat and wearing beast hides, and in this process created a highly distinctive animal-hide handcraft. The craft process of the Oroqen animal-hide crafting includes hide collection, tanning, piecing-cutting and sewing, dyeing, ornamentation, embroidery, etc.; the finished products produced can be divided by use into categories such as apparel, daily articles, and religious implements. Roe-deer-hide culture is a unique culture produced by the Oroqen under specific historical conditions. The roe-deer-hide daily articles of the Oroqen in Heilongjiang Province and the Oroqen Autonomous Banner of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region include quilts, overcoats, gloves, hats, leggings, boots, pouches, shoulder bags, etc.; these articles are mainly made with a zhadao (piercing knife) and some other unique tools. The making of roe-deer-hide articles is an initiative by which the Oroqen people make full use of the animal-hide culture they themselves created to resist the cold, protect themselves, adapt to the environment, and survive actively. The Oroqen people of Aihui District, Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province have hunted for generations in the deep mountains and dense forests of the Lesser Khingan Range. The Oroqen have no written script of their own, so the animal-hide crafting craft and its products became the carrier of Oroqen hunting culture. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Recorded Process Steps": The craft process of the Oroqen animal-hide crafting includes hide collection, tanning, piecing-cutting and sewing, dyeing, ornamentation, embroidery, etc.; the finished products produced can be divided by use into categories such as apparel, daily articles, and religious implements. "Collecting and choosing hides": Hides are chosen by purpose, taking large whole skins for quilts and softer neck, belly and limb skins for smaller items. "Tanning the hides": Scraping and rubbing with knives and scrapers removes the fat; the degree of softness depends on how long the hide is worked. "Cutting and sewing": Small hides are pieced into larger panels, and the seams must be straight and dense against wind.
Recorded Process Steps
The craft process of the Oroqen animal-hide crafting includes hide collection, tanning, piecing-cutting and sewing, dyeing, ornamentation, embroidery, etc.; the finished products produced can be divided by use into categories such as apparel, daily articles, and religious implements.
Collecting and choosing hides
Hides are chosen by purpose, taking large whole skins for quilts and softer neck, belly and limb skins for smaller items.
Tanning the hides
Scraping and rubbing with knives and scrapers removes the fat; the degree of softness depends on how long the hide is worked.
Cutting and sewing
Small hides are pieced into larger panels, and the seams must be straight and dense against wind.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Mangumei was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Oroqen Paopi Making Craftsmanship, with Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Oroqen Paopi Making Craftsmanship in Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia as its declared area, and Elunchun Autonomous Banner Cultural Center (Elunchun Autonomous Banner Art Museum) as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Hide-working is tightly meshed with the Oroqen hunting rhythm: spring and autumn are the seasons for taking pelts, and only in the winter slack is there time to spread a whole hide out to tan—this dictates that the transmission of the craft can only take place in specific periods each year. The skill can only be passed from master to apprentice by word of mouth; a single hide, from cut pieces to being sewn into a quilt cover, often spans a whole year. As long as the hides are preserved, so too are the things made from them, and thus this craft is at the same time a record without writing.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meng Lanjie | Heiheshiaihui, Heilongjiang | 03-1370 | Other regional school |
| Gezhangyun | Heiheshiaihui, Heilongjiang | 05-2811 | Other regional school |
| Mangumei | Elunchunzizhiqi, Inner Mongolia | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。