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2003.4
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Thelast HUNTING TRIBE IN CHINA
--Ewenki hunters at Aoluguya
Article by Lu Qingshan


Cuoluozi” is the traditional dwelling house for Ewenkis. Pronounced as “xigerlezhu” in Ewenki language, it is a kind of tepee built on 25 to 30 larch poles. Inside the “Cuoluozi”, usually with a height of three meters and a diameter of four meters, a stove is set up for heating and making meals.
   

The Ewenkis, sometimes known as Tunggus, live in the far northeast of China, in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Heilongjiang Province. One of China's 55 minorities, they number around 26,000 in total population.
   
At present, the Ewenki people are divided into three groups - Solun, Tunggus and Yakute. Solun tribe now lives a settled life on both sides of the Hailar River in Inner Mongolia and engages in agriculture and animal husbandry. The Tunggus live their nomadic life in Chenbarhu Banner in Heilongjiang. For the Yakute tribe, they make their living by hunting in the dense forests of the Greater Hinggan Mountains. They are the country's only group of nomadic people who still earn their living by hunting and raising reindeer.