Folk culture① Tanka (疍家)

Introduction

The Tanka people, also known as Danmin (疍民), are a special group in Southern China who have traditionally lived on junks in coastal parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, and Zhejiang provinces. They were first mentioned in Huayang Guo Zhi (华阳国志, a gazetteer of the Jin Dynasty), but their origins are unknown. The origin of the name is related to their life. The Tanka in Beihai live in Waisha (外沙), Dijiao (地角), Qiaogang (侨港).

Deep in the past, the Tanka were despised by the residents on land and received cruel treatment, such as being not allowed to wear shoes, build houses, or marry the person on land, etc. The fishermen who were floating population were not recorded in registers maintained by the local authority (官府). In other words, they were regarded as animals. They even couldn't be buried on land after their death, so they had to be buried in Shagang (沙岗, a long and high sand hill) area. And after heavy rain, there would be a horrible scene that the bodies in the Shafen (沙坟, a sand grave) were exposed and wild dogs competed for them.

Culture

The Tanka, which is described as "出海三分命，上岸低头行" (dangerous at sea, can't lift their faces on land), have their own unique culture and customs. They believe in Buddhism, and they also sacrifice pigs and sheep to the Dragon King (龙王) and pray for protection on the first day and the 15th day of every month.

◇   Xianshuige (咸水歌) is the song which Tanka sing in their daily lives, and it is commonly about love and hardships of life.

Tanjiajie (叹家姐) is a tune of Xianshuige that a bride cries and sings for a few days at the prospect of parting from her parents.

Nanbanlang (喃伴郎) is a tune of Xianshuige that educates a groom about how to make a happy family.

◇   Tanka wedding is a traditional wedding that takes place on the sea. The groom takes a boat to pick up the bride, and the bride's family pull the rope and try to hold the bride back. Making the boat roll like a tug-of-war is to show the ability of the groom and the bride to work on the sea.

The Tanka have been influenced by the culture on land, and there is no one to specially study about Xianshuige and collect, record the tunes. Therefore, now almost the young Tanka can't sing Xianshuige. And because of the prevalent use of modern means of communication, it is not hard to meet or talk to each other. So the "哭嫁" (cry while getting married) custom no longer prevails.

Lifestyle

After liberation the Tanka started living on land and built simple houses called "Danjiapeng" (疍家棚) by the sea. They were also granted the right to receive education, and no longer made their living only by fishing.

◇   Food: Tanka live on fish. And it is said that Danjiajiu (疍家酒), the drink they make, has the effects of "壮阳", "祛风除湿".

◇   Taboos: ⑴ Tanka don't save a person from drowning because they are frightened of Shuigui (水鬼, the spirits of people who drowned).

⑵ Women are not allowed to be on the prow because Tanka believe that the body of a woman is dirty.

⑶ When eating a fish, Tanka don't use the "翻" (means "turn over") character and just use the "顺转" word because they fear that their boats will capsize.

⑷ For the same reason, when putting a spoon on the table, it is not allowed to place back-side up.