| We |
hadn't been studying
the Bouyei language very long when we got our first glimpse of
Bouyei-style first aid. |
The Bouyei
people are one
of China's official ethnic minorities. Predominately rural farmers,
they labor in the terraced rice paddies of southern Guizhou province.
Although most of them live in China, they speak a language totally
unrelated to Chinese.
One evening, two Bouyei ladies and their daughters
stopped by for a visit. We sat in the living room chatting, while the
little girls laughed and jumped
 |
| Bouyei people gather to
celebrate at a local wedding.
Luodian, Guizhou
|
together on the couch. Suddenly
one of
them slipped and fell. Her head hit the floor with a heart-stopping
thud and immediately a huge goose egg began to swell on her forehead.
Before I could get up to look for some ice in the
freezer, one of the
Bouyei ladies ran to the kitchen and found the container that we use to
store rice. Quickly, she put a handful of raw rice in her mouth and
chewed it up. Then she spit the rice paste out onto the girl's
forehead. When we asked what she was doing, she explained that the
paste would keep the swelling down. An interesting equivalent to a bag
of frozen peas! Years of experience living without a fridge breeds its
own home-remedies.
|
