Lisu Guake Dance

我叫李向凯，傈僳族，

My name is Li Xiangkai, a member of the Lisu ethnic group.

家住云南省怒江州泸水市，

My hometown is in Lushui City of Nujiang Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province.

我也是怒江州州级非物质文化遗产项目傈僳族刮克舞代表性传承人。

I’m the representative inheritor of the Lisu Guake Dance, a prefecture-level intangible cultural heritage of Nujiang Prefecture.

我今年33岁。

I’m 33 years old.

刮克舞就是我们怒江州泸水市特有的一个舞种，

Guake is a unique sort of dance in Lushui City, Nujiang Prefecture.

是整个原始劳作演变下来的舞蹈动作。

Its movements have evolved from manual labor.

我们傈僳族（原来）住在大山上，海拔特别高，温差特别大，

We Lisu people (used to) lived in mountainous areas with high altitudes and large temperature differences.

晚上我们就会烧一堆火，（在）三脚架上面我们就架了一个锅，

In the evening, we would make a bonfire, and put a pot on the tripod over the bonfire.

锅上面（是）我们自己的傈僳族的那个药酒，

In the pot was the peculiar Lisu medicinal liquor.

边喝着小酒边聊天，边开开心心地跳着（傈僳族刮克舞）。

We chatted while drinking the liquor, and happily danced (Guake Dance).

我们傈僳族的服饰有特别大的特点，女士的胸前就会挂那个三大块贝壳，它（原本）是作为货币来使用。

The biggest characteristic of Lisu people’s clothes is that there are three big shells on women’s clothes which (originally) were used as currency.

包包上面还有一个特点，就是上面会人工来绣着的那个小弩弓。

On the surface of the bag, a crossbow is embroidered.

女士的服饰背后有一块长长的布，外挂，

At the back of women’s clothes, there is a long piece of cloth hanging.

（因为）以前特别穷，穿着打扮都很不好，

(Because) Lisu people used to be very poor, what they wore was shabby.

就是为了避羞，也起到一个防护的作用。

The clothes were just for covering up and protection.

以前的话我们没有交通工具，你就是靠着你的脚力一步一步的爬上（山）去，

Before, we didn’t have means of transportation, and had to climb up the mountains on foot.

我们好不容易说进来城里面去买一些生活用品什么的，

It was not easy for us to go into the city to buy articles of daily use.

我们最起码要走两天。

It took us at least two days.

老人家有句古言说，到奴江大峡谷山上，猴子望了都会掉眼泪。

As an ancient saying goes, even a monkey will cry on the mountain by the Nujiang Grand Canyon.

现在路也通了，家家户户最低的标配都会有一辆摩托车，个别的家里面也开着小车。

Today, the road has been finished. Every family has a motorcycle at least, and some have cars.

以前的山上没有任何的劳作物，现在我们种上了草果，种上了核桃，

Before, there was not any crop in the mountains, but now we have planted fruit and walnut trees.

生活条件越来越好。

Our living conditions are getting better.