Kublai Khan’s Influence

Kublai Khan, with his Mongolian army, established his army headquarters south of Lugu Lake. A feudal government ensued as officers and troops were stationed here. Kublai Khan introduced Buddhism and enforced rules of civil administration, along with religious tenets, around Lugu Lake and Yongning town. During this time, the practice of monogamous marriage, practiced by officials of the Mongol army, also became popular among the ethnic Mosuo people, particularly in the Yankouba and Tuodian villages.

Early Records of the Mosuo

The history of the Mosuo people has been recorded in numerous historical texts. Records in the Records of the Grand Historian and History of the Han Dynasty referred to them as “Mao Niu Qiang” and “Mao Niu Yi.” In ancient times, the Mosuo were nomadic, also known as yak keepers.

The word “Mosuo” first appeared in Volume 23, Prefecture V, of History of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The land was described as having salt pits. The people were referred to as Mexie or Moxi during the Tang and Song Dynasties, as Mosha and Mexie during the Yuan Dynasty, as Moxi and Mexi during the Ming Dynasty, and as Mosa and Mosu during the Qing Dynasty.

Migration and Settlement

During the Warring States period, the Qiang tribe had a chieftain named Qiong. To evade threats from the Qin Kingdom, he led his clansmen southward to settle in Gansu, and also northwest and southwest to settle in Sichuan province. Later, they migrated to Yuexi (southeast of Xichang in Sichuan province). The Wudu Qiang tribe was called “Wudu Qiang,” and the Yuexi Qiang tribe was referred to as “Yuexi Qiang.” The “Maoniuy” people, or “Yuexi Qiang” of ancient times, were known as the “Mexie” people during the latter years of the Han Dynasty. The “Mexie” lived in the Dadu River Valley for many years. Some of them moved to the Yalong River. Later on, the Mosuo migrated southward to Dingzuo, which is today’s Yanyuan, Ningyong, and Lugu Lake in Sichuan province.

Mosuo in Modern Times

As recorded in the History of the Yuan Dynasty • Geography Records, the Mosuo had settled in Yongning for 1,500 years. The Ascending Guide Sutra of Mosuo Daba recorded that the Mosuo lived in Langqu, having migrated from Waru (today’s Qiansuo township of Zuosuo District in Sichuan province). Sixty-two generations of Mosuo people have lived in this area.

In modern times, the Mosuo people mainly lived along the upper reaches of the Jinsha River. Their settlements include Yanyuan, Muli, and Yanbian counties in Sichuan province, and Ninglang in Yunnan province. There are about 20,000 Mosuo people in Ninglang and in nine townships, including Yongning, Labo, and Hongqi. Mosuo people also live in Lijiang, Yongju, Huaping, and Weixi counties. By the end of the 1980s, there were about 40,000 Mosuo people.

Mosuo Legends

Legend of Gemu and the Male Spirits

An ancient legend linked to the lake tells of a beautiful female spirit named Gemu, who had many local mountain spirits as male friends. One day, a mountain spirit from a distant region came to visit her while she was with a local male spirit. Humiliated upon finding her with another, he turned his horse around and began to leave. Gemu, realizing the visitor had come on horseback, ran after him but could only see a large hoofprint at the foot of the mountain where he had vanished. As darkness fell, Gemu began to weep, causing the hoofprint to transform into a lake filled with her tears. When the male spirit saw her tears, he lovingly threw pearls and flowers into the lake. These pearls are now said to be the islands in the lake, while the flowers that floated to the shore are believed to be scented azaleas and other flowers that bloom every year.

The Creation of the Lake and the Transformation of Waru Shila

Another legend about the creation of the lake tells of Gemu’s romance with a god named Waru Shila. During their first meeting in a garden of flowers, they were so engrossed in each other that they didn’t notice the dawn approaching. To avoid being discovered, Waru Shila fled on his horse toward the hill. As he looked back at Gemu from the shore of Lugu Lake, he held the reins tightly, causing his horse to stumble and fall, creating a deep depression in the ground. As daybreak came, Waru could not return to heaven and transformed himself into a mountain to the east of the lake. Gemu, devastated by this turn of events, cried intensely, filling the depression with her tears, which became Lugu Lake. She then cast seven of her pearls into the lake, which became the seven islands, and transformed herself into a mountain to keep watch over the lake and her lover in the east.