Salar
From Mw
Introduction
The Salar, considered exiles from Samarakand in Uzbekistan[1] have their own distinct Salar language.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins
As related to or by Han Fude and Han Derong (1988) this story of the origin of the Salars starts with two brothers in Samarkand—Kharimang and Ahmang (Gallima and Akhma.) They felt that life in their home village had become intolerable because of discrimination against them by the village headman, so they decided to leave for somewhere more amenable. They set off from the village accompanied by various relatives, clanspeople and possibly others from the village. They took with them a white camel for porterage; a bowl of soil and a kettle of water from their home village; and a copy of the Qu'ran. The journey was long and arduous and involved crossing many mountain ranges and rivers. They moved eastward through present day Xinjiang into present day Gansu and then into present day Ningxia. Once there, they turned back westward. Sometime after the two brothers had left their native place other of their clanspeople, villagers and relatives (about forty-five people in all) also decided to follow. They too had an arduous journey, but instead of following the brothers’ tracks exactly ended up going south of Qinghai Lake. A couple of this company decamped there but the others continued and were able to eventually meet up with Kharimang and Ahwang in present day Xunhua County at Mengda, from where they moved on to Alitiuli. Once everyone arrived in Alitiuli they were all exhausted, and the camel was tired, hungry and thirsty. Rest was called for. At midnight Kharimang woke up to find the camel had disappeared. He woke everyone else up and they went off looking for the camel. By dawn they had not been successful but by now were very thirsty. Looking for water they found the camel had turned into stone, next to a spring, with water coming out of its mouth. This was a shock to the travellers who had become quite attached to the camel during their wanderings. Kharimang took up the Koran they had brought with and asked for Allah’s blessings for the camel and themselves. They then drank the spring water and found it more than acceptable. They then compared the water and soil in Alitiuli with the water and soil they had brought with and decided both that they were the same and that Allah had helped them find a good place to settle. According to this folk tale the date was the 13th day of the 5th moon in the 3rd year of the Hongwu Reign of the Ming Dynasty (7 June 1370.)
[edit] Early History
The Muslims of Xunhua settled in the region during the Mongol conquest of the 13th century as part of great migration of Muslims into China on the back of the Yuan Dynasty. It is said that Muhammed Yusuf visited Xunhua in the late 1640's and converted a great number of people [2]. Additionally many Salars went on Hajj and gained many followers on their return. Such as Ma Laichi who taught a branch of Islam know as Khafiya.[3]. Another traveller was Ma Mingxin who returned in 1761 who spread a branch know as Jahriya (the new teaching), as opposed to Ma Laichi's "old teaching". In 1781 the Qing legal system outlaed Ma Laichi and his teaching, which resulted in escalated violence. A group of Salars under Su Sishisan raised thebanner of revolt and captured Hezhou. The Governer of Gansu sent officals to Hezhou to deal with the revolt. Su Sishisan killed them and then immediately proceeded to march on Lanzhou. the seige was unsuccessfull[4]. After the fall of the Qing Dynsasty the Salar created the Qinghai Province with its capital in Xining in 1928 under the command of Hui Ma Qi, who was suceeded by his son Ma Bufang who formed one of the members of the Five Ma.
[edit] The Salars and the PRC
The PLA (peoples liberation army) moved into Qinghai in late 1949. After securing the province they relased all of Ma Bufang's soldiers, who then went on to wage gurrilla war. On one ocasion under the leadership of Han Yimu in 1951-52, the Salars surrounded the local garrison of 90 PLA soldiers and killed them all.[5] The uprising led to severe repression of the Salars whose leaders were imprisoned and around 10% of the male population were rounded up and sent to 'reform labour camps'. The use of the Salar language was discouraged and religious expression was supressed. A most notable event was the removal of an early 13th century copy of the Qu'ran that was said to have come from Samarkand to Beijing for 'safe keeping. It had previously been kept at the Alituli Mosque [6]
[edit] Recent History
- establishment of the Qinghai province in 1928 under Ma Qi and then later his son Ma Bufang which had become a sultanate.
- The Salar became an officially recognised nationality of the PRC in the beginning of the 1950's.
- Uprising of 1781
- late 19th century uprisings
- uprising in the 1950's
[edit] Schooling and the Salars
State school enrolment in Xunhua are some of the lowest in China. This is because the Salar like many other Muslims prefer to segregate the children by sexes and so teach their children in the Madrasas
[edit] Locations
Many Salar are located in Xunhua Salar Autonomou Country of Qinghai Province, although they are well represented as merchants and traders in Ningxia, Gansu and Xinjiang[7] . They are also predominant in Linxia from the 17th century , which had become a major centre of Islamic culture.
[edit] Relationships with Tibetans
The salars share Qinghai with a Tibetan autonomous religion, and there has been a huge interaction as a result. During the Sultanate of the five ma's Ma Bufang initiated a drive to spread Islam to the tibetans with some success. The Salars refer to the Tibetans as ajiou - meaning 'maternal uncle' which is a sign of effection.[8]
[edit] References
- ↑ Salazu jianshi bianxiezu 19982,3
- ↑ Mi Yizui 1982
- ↑ Trippner 1964, 264
- ↑ Mi Yizhi 1982, 17:Salazu jianshi bianxiezu 1982,17
- ↑ Zhang Pu, Jia Dawu & Guo Jing 1996,150
- ↑ Details of the Alitiuli Koran are provided in a conversation between Han Jianye and Ma Wei, reported in Ma Wei, Ma Jianzhong, & Stuart 2001, 11.
- ↑ Lipman 1991, 65
- ↑ Ma Wei, Ma Jainzhong & Stuar 2001,33
