The customs and habits of the Evenki people, and what is the way of life of the Evenks

The Evenks are mainly found in Nehe County, Heilongjiang Province, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northeastern China. Evenki is a national name that means "people who live in the mountains and forests". The population is 30,505 (2000).

The Evenks have their own language but no written language. The Evenki language belongs to the Tungusic branch of the Man-Tungusic language family of the Altaic language family. Mongolian is mostly spoken by Evenki herders, while Chinese is widely used by farmers.

The oral creations of the Evenki people include myths, stories, songs, riddles, etc., and they are also good at carving and cutting various handicrafts from birch bark. Most of the Evenks live by grazing, the rest are engaged in farming. Reindeer were once the only means of transport for the Evenks and were known as the "boat of the forest".

The Evenks practice shamanism and lamaism. The main festivals are the Ao Bao Festival, the Lunar Year and the Mikole Festival.

In terms of food customs, the Evenki people have formed different styles due to the different production conditions in various places. The hunting area takes animal meat as the staple food, the cooking methods are boiled and baked, the main food is broth, rice porridge, making jerky, etc., as well as making bread and noodles with white noodles, etc., and the very characteristic diet is reindeer milk tea and reindeer cream.

In the pastoral area, milk, meat, and noodles are the staple foods, and milk tea is constantly used every day, and various dairy foods, fried fruits, and pies are eaten. In the agricultural areas, grain is the staple food, and the traditional staple foods include millet, wheat, oats, barley, etc. Cook dry rice, meat porridge, knife-cut noodles, hair cakes, fried cakes, fried noodles, milk porridge, etc.

In addition to meat and milk, there are also various vegetables grown in the garden.

The name "Evenki" is the name of the Evenki people, which means "people who live in the mountains and forests". Historically, due to the relationship between the areas where they lived, the Evenki people collectively referred to the mountains and forests around the Great Khingan Mountains, including the outer Khingan Mountains to the upper reaches of the Amazar River and the Lena River, as "Egdu Wuri" or "Egden" (Evenki meaning "mountain").

There is also a saying: "Evenki" means "people who go down the mountain" or "people who live on the southern slopes". Both of these explanations indicate that the Evenks were a hunter-gatherer people in the mountains and forests.

With the development of history, some people moved out of the mountains and forests to the grasslands and river valleys and plains, and some still stayed in the mountains and forests. The name "Evenki" reflects the ancient history and life of the Evenki people, who have a close connection with the mountains and forests.

Due to the different areas of residence formed by historical migrations, the Evenks in different regions were once called "Sauron", "Tunguska" and "Yakutia" by other peoples.