Research on Protection and Inheritance of Oroqen Birch-bark Crafts of Heilongjiang Province

Abstract

Folk arts in Heilongjiang province have a long history, various categories and profound culture connotation. The birch-bark technology, as an important content of the same arts, is inherited by the Oroqen people in Heilongjiang province with amounts of other folk arts and it belongs to the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage as well, however, these technologies have faded away gradually, even disappeared in their inheritance with the development of the society and progress of the productivity. The several aspects that distribution of the Oroqen birch-bark technology in Heilongjiang province, untraditional birch-bark paintings and craft gifts and the issues occurred in the process of protection and inheritance of Oroqen birch-bark crafts as well as the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are discussed in this article and it draws a conclusion that the research on countermeasures of Oroqen birch-bark crafts protection has become burning question, which could facilitate the innovation and development of the new modern birch-bark crafts on the basis of protection by making good use of it. Keywords—Heilongjiang Province; Oroqen; birch-bark craft; protection and inheritance I. DISTRIBUTION OF OROQEN BIRCH-BARK TECHNOLOGY IN HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE Oroqen people, a minority of Heilongjiang province, are known as “Birch Forest Home” due to amounts of birches there. As one of the first national intangible cultural heritage resources, white bark technology & heritance have a significant research value. In China, birch bark mainly comes from Xinganling, Changbaishan and Zhangguangcai Range, where there are abundant forest resources and provide favorable conditions for the development of the birch-bark technology. Birch-bark crafts are distributed mainly in Heilongjiang River Valley and jointly created by the aboriginals as well as their ancestors lived in that valley. The Oroqen birch-bark technology in Heilongjiang province is intensively distributed in Xinsheng Oroqen minority town, Aihui District, Heihe City, Baiyinna Oroqen minority town, Huma County, Shibazhan Oroqen minority town, Tahe County and Xine Oroqen minority town, Xunke County, of which the Xinsheng Town of Heihe City was awarded “Province-level Ethnic Cultural Tourism Base”. II. UNTRADITIONAL BIRCH-BARK PAINTINGS AND CRAFT