Oroqen Paopi Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
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 · Core Techniques & Process
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.
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.
Dyeing
Finished pieces are dyed in reds, blacks and indigos from wild plant and mineral colour sources.
Ornament and embroidery
With no written script, every cloud and blossom worked onto the hide is both record and blessing.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
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.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Oroqen Paopi Making Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
This is a history book without writing, in which are deeply reflected the Oroqen people's views on life, aesthetics, and religion; it is an important basis for knowing and investigating Oroqen ethnic culture, of high academic research value. With social progress and development, the Oroqen people's attire has changed greatly; coupled with the daily dwindling of roe-deer-hide resources and the passing of old craftsmen who mastered the roe-deer-hide crafting craft, this precious ethnic handcraft is on the verge of extinction and urgently needs protection and transmission.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Meng Lanjie 03-1370
- Gezhangyun 05-2811
- Mangumei
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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