In the history of Tianzhu, the life of the Tibetan people was not limited to grasslands and farmland. They either did business or hunted. , have frequent interactions with other ethnic groups in production and life. Tibetans living in the "hero tribe" especially worship heroes and heroes. Therefore, they often borrow the surname of a certain hero in the process of choosing a surname. For example, it is said that the surname "Yang" originated from the worship of the famous "Yang" in the Song Dynasty. The surname "Li" was chosen because of the worship of the Tang Dynasty emperor "Li Shiming" and so on. This phenomenon occurs in Tianzhu Tibetan area and other places as well. In June 2005, when we inspected the Tibetan areas in southern Gansu, we discovered that there are many people with the surnames "Bao" and "Li" in Luoda Township, Diebu County. According to some local elderly people, saying the surname "Bao" is a sign of worship. The surname he took after "Bao Qingtian" is just a translation change of the characters "Bao" and "Bao", which is also recorded in "Gannan Literary and Historical Materials". This method of naming is completely borrowed from the surnames of the Han people, and is the result of the exchange and integration of Tibetan and Chinese cultures.
The seven sources of the Tianzhu Tibetan surname mentioned above all show a kind of regularity and show certain characteristics, that is, they have a long history, rich content, and specific sources, rather than personal will. added. It is obvious that the Tianzhu Tibetans still retain tribal traces, and strong religious overtones can be seen in some tribal names and surnames. As far as the origin of surnames is concerned, the adoption of Tianzhu Tibetan surnames has been strongly influenced by Han culture, which is a powerful witness to the historical exchanges and cultural exchanges between the Han and Tibetan people in Tianzhu.
4. Several issues that cannot be ignored when studying Tibetan surnames
(1) People with the same surname are not of the same ethnic group
As mentioned above, God wishes It is an area with a large population and many ethnic groups, so the same surname may exist among several different ethnic groups. What is more difficult to distinguish is that Tianzhu Tibetans generally have two names, one is a Chinese name, and the other is a Tibetan name. The Tibetan name is given by a living Buddha or a person of high moral standing shortly after birth, and the Chinese name is usually given when a person starts school. If it is Tibetan, it may not have a Chinese name, but it must have a Tibetan name. To distinguish whether a person is Tibetan or another ethnic group, the standard of differentiation depends on which ethnic group the person's ancestors belong to.
(2) People with the same surname and the same ethnic group are not from the same origin
There are many people with the same surname among Tibetans, but they do not belong to the same family. As far as the original "Li" family in Xigou, Xidatan and the "Li" family in Huoshaocheng are concerned, they are both Tibetan, but the former's surname was given by the ruling class, while the latter's surname was transformed from the tribal name. , they do not belong to the same family, they are just people with the same surname in different tribes, so we say that they are not of the same origin.
(3) Some Tibetan people’s names are preceded by words other than their surnames
Judging from current phenomena, many Tibetans in Tianzhu County and even other Tibetan areas also use the word “surname” before their names. Using words similar to "surname", such as Huarui Dongzhi, Tsoko Tashi, Shama Dorje, etc., these are all to distinguish people with the same name in the same place. In the process of translating such a name, a dot is often added between the name and a word similar to "surname", which has become a conventional writing method. It is worth mentioning that such words similar to surnames also come from a wide range of sources. Some are added by village names, such as Xiucha? Renqing; some are added by positions, such as Cuohong? Zhoujia; The names added by temples, such as Huo Zhuqian, etc., are all added by local people to distinguish two or more people with the same name. Its scope of application is also greatly limited, and it only applies to limited within the territory. But judging from the current situation, as various places have strengthened their ties and local cultures are communicating, the phenomenon of adding something similar to a surname before a name is becoming more and more common, especially among the few in academia. few.
To sum up, the surnames of the Tianzhu Tibetan people are an important part of the culture of the region. Their surnames mainly come from the surnames given by the ruling class, the local tribal names converted into surnames, and the local tribal names translated into surnames. Taking the first letter of a person's name as a surname, taking a surname after intermarriage with the Han people, taking a surname after worshiping natural objects, and taking a surname after worshiping a certain Han great man, etc. The origin of the Tianzhu Tibetan surname not only follows the original surname of the Tibetan people, but also borrows the surname of the Han people. This is a testimony of the exchanges between the Tibetan and Han peoples in the process of historical development and the result of the cultural integration of the Tibetan and Han peoples. This article makes a superficial analysis of the phenomenon of Tibetan people using surnames in this area. Due to the lack of relevant information and my limited level, it is impossible to conduct an in-depth discussion. It is necessary to continue to collect data for further research.
After the seventh century, Buddhism became popular in Tibet, and everything was colored by Buddhism, and people also liked to name their names after living Buddhas. If a person becomes a monk, no matter how old he is, he must be ordained by the khenpo of the monastery again and take a Dharma name. From then on, the common name will be cancelled. If a monk or living Buddha rises to an upper-level monkhood, his name must be added with a monkhood or title, for example: Khenpo Lhundup Thaokai. Khenpo is a monk. The name of the living Buddha should generally be preceded by the name of the temple or family.
Ordinary civilians do not have surnames, only first names. For example: "Duoji Cidan", "Suolang Wangdui", "Gengdui Qunpei", etc.; for the convenience of naming, people only use the two characters of the full name to abbreviate it. Some are shortened by the first and third characters, such as "Gengdui Qunpei" is shortened to "Gengqun"; others are shortened by the first two characters or the last two characters, such as "Duoji Cidan", which is shortened to "Gengqun". Duoji".
The names given by common people all have certain meanings and reflect their own thoughts and feelings, which can be said to be rich and colorful. One is to use natural objects as their names, such as: Dawa? (moon), Nima (sun); others use the day the child was born as a name, such as: Langga (thirtieth day); and others use The week of the child's birth is used to name the child, such as Nima (Sunday), which is also interpreted as "day" and "sun", and Dawa (Monday), which is also interpreted as "moon" and "month". Many parents put their own feelings into the names they give their children. If parents think there are too many children and want to end the birth, they name the child "Cangmu Jue", which means termination. "Qionda" means the youngest, which means no more children. If parents want to have a boy, they name their newborn daughter "Buchi", which means "bringing up a boy".