This is the first time that I have witnessed with my own eyes the complete tree burial of ethnic minorities in southwest China.
The male body was at home. At 9:30, Sister Zami Wang carried the body out. There were no clothes on the body, but the face was covered with a towel. Zhang Biao shouted in Sherpa: "Let's go."
Give way! Give way! Don’t block the way!"
A large group of troops followed, leaving home and heading north.
The journey was long. I asked Brother Biao where we were going, and he said we were going to the Burial Forest, about ten miles away from the tribe.
The road in the mountains is not easy to walk at night and you have to climb uphill frequently. This is still at a high altitude. I started to pant not long after walking.
On the other hand, sister Zami Wang, she was carrying her husband's body on her back, walking as fast as flying, without blushing or panting.
Some professionals have done research that shows that the blood pressure in Sherpas is low, and the saturation of hemoglobin in the blood oxygen is extremely high. They don't have high reflexes. This is natural, and the same is true for the children here.
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At around 11 o'clock, we arrived at a remote red pine forest.
"Ah sneeze!"
The temperature in the forest was very low, and I couldn't help but sneeze.
He raised his head and took a photo with his flashlight.
I saw many large bamboo baskets placed on the branches of the red pine trees here, some with wooden barrels under them, and some without.
These large bamboo baskets are a little too graceful, they look shaky and they feel like they will fall off the tree at any time.
At this time, Brother Biao told me in a low voice: "Sherpas have been buried here for generations after their deaths. There is a male corpse in every bamboo basket on the branches."
My hair went numb after hearing this, and I looked up again and asked, "Are they all male corpses? What about the dead women and children? Aren't they buried here?"
"No, women and children are buried here after they die. Pay attention to those big trees. Do you find anything?"
"Could it be... that he was buried in a tree trunk?" I asked in surprise.
"Well, that's right. Women and children are buried in trees. They will first choose a tree that is thick enough, then dig a hole in the tree, put the body in the hole, cover it with bark, and finally use
Tie the rope."
"What are those barrels down there for?" I asked again.
"That one is called a "ghost bucket," and it's used to pick up corpses. If you position it correctly, as long as a bone falls from the tree, it will fall into the bucket."
I asked again: "That's not right. Brother Biao, look, those big bamboo baskets on the trees look like they are about to fall down, and the hemp ropes also look weathered. Doesn't that matter?"
"Haha," Zhang Biao said with a smile: "Brother, you don't know something, they just want the corpse to fall! When exposed to the wind and sun, once a person's bones start to fall from the tree, it means that the person's soul has ascended to heaven.
.”
Sister Zamiwang chose a tree to stop. She took the quilt from others, used the quilt and rope to wrap the body tightly several times.
"Hukka! Hukka!"
Three strong men began to pull the rope.
Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, as the rope was pulled, the large bamboo basket hung with several strands of hemp rope began to rise slowly.
Sister Zemi Wang raised her head and watched the bamboo basket getting higher and higher from the ground.
This red pine forest is equivalent to the ancestral tomb of the Sherpa people, and I am a tomb robber. I felt uncomfortable staying there and wanted to leave, because I always felt like there were pairs of "human" eyes staring at me in the trees.
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"What? Mineko, are you scared?"
Dou Yazai was speechless. He whispered to me: "I suddenly remembered something. When we went to sea, we used to pickle salted fish like this, haha! Sprinkle some salt and let the sea breeze blow, and it will dry very well.
Already."
As if remembering something funny at sea, Dou Sprout couldn't help it and laughed.
That's it.
"Pooh!"
"Bah, bah, bah!"
"Fuck! Something fell into my mouth!"
Dou Sprout raised his head and said loudly: "It fell from this basket! It seems to be water!"
When Brother Biao heard what Dou Sprout Zai said, he looked up first and asked quickly: "Do you feel a taste in your mouth?"
"Does it taste good?" Douyazai smacked his lips and said, "How do you feel? There is a smell of Liushen toilet water in your mouth?"
"you!"
Brother Biao looked ugly and said loudly: "No! You fucking drank Shira!"
