龙彼德
这是她第六次去俄罗斯那乃族瓦列里家。
2014年6月的一个下午,刚刚结束会见、从俄罗斯哈巴罗夫斯克边疆区那乃区政府出来的中国黑龙江省同江市政协副主席、赫哲族人尤秀珍,就立即转去原区长、那乃族人毕利递·瓦列里·米哈依洛维奇的家。老远,她就瞥见掩映于杨树下、围着松木栅栏的院子里立着一个熟悉的身影。
尤秀珍狂喜地奔过去,那是瓦列里的儿子安那多里。闻声走出家门的安那多里的母亲柳德米拉解释道:“这是我丈夫留给儿子的遗嘱,凡是中国亲兄弟般的熟人来到那乃区,都必须穿上您送的这套衣服,见衣就见到我瓦列里……”尤秀珍大哭着扑到柳德米拉怀里。白色的铃兰花低垂着花枝。
中国赫哲族与俄罗斯那乃族同源。尤秀珍从小就听长辈说,她的高祖父曾在俄罗斯远东地区的一个小村庄住过,后来祖父母带着三个孩子回到黑龙江南岸的哈鱼岗(同江哈鱼岛),1932年她的姑姑和姑父又去了俄罗斯,至今下落不明……
1986年,中国国务院批准恢复同江口岸,尤秀珍的父亲尤清海对女儿说:“作为一个民族干部,你一定要想办法与俄罗斯那乃族取得联系。”尤秀珍也下定决心到俄罗斯寻找亲人。
与此同时,那乃区区长瓦列里也有一样的愿望。他从小受到一位从中国山东省来这里谋生的邻居、汉族老人由桂榛的照顾,老人曾说,中国有人群同那乃人长相一样,这使瓦列里对中国与中国人怀有强烈的亲近感。老人临终前掏出一封家书,请瓦列里将自己的死讯传递给山东的后代。此后,瓦列里在不断的打探中看到一本杂志,里面有介绍中国赫哲族的文章并带有照片,无论风俗习惯、生活方式,还是体貌特征都与那乃族相同,可以说找到赫哲人也就找到了兄弟姐妹。1990年,瓦列里到黑龙江的密山口岸寻访而无人接待,同江边贸公司了解到这一情况汇报上去,尤秀珍即发函邀请瓦列里以贸易代表团的名义,来同江认亲。
“巴奇克哈(见面了)!”
“西爱依(你好)!”
1991年2月25日,在同江东岗站,尤秀珍一声赫哲语,使瓦列里等五位那乃族同胞热泪盈眶,大步上前与尤秀珍及赫哲族老干部尤志贤、傅景贤等人握手、拥抱。当晚,同江市委、市政府设宴接待嘉宾,共同的心愿、共同的语言让隔绝多年的亲人有说不完的话。窗外是严冬和黑夜。屋里,暖色的灯光照射着每个人绯红的脸颊。
瓦列里叙述了他寻找亲人的艰难,但每一次受挫都没有动摇他的意志,反而激励他起草了一份决议在那乃区民族协会上通过,发动大家一起来寻找……所以他万分感谢尤秀珍主席,帮他们圆了这个团圆之梦。尤秀珍介绍了长辈们的嘱托,激动地说:“想亲人,盼亲人,终于等到这一天,了却几代人的心愿。我们住在同一条江的上游和下游,大家可以共同发展,让每一户家庭都过上幸福、美好的生活!”
那乃区主管民族工作的主任阿克钦科·尼古拉·谢苗诺维奇即兴作民歌一首,大意是:七十年的分离终于骨肉相聚,哪一位同胞不心潮起伏……他与同来的四位那乃人哭了,在座的赫哲人也都哭了。
在同江期间,瓦列里等人参观了赫哲族博物馆,观看了赫哲族文工团的精彩表演,并应邀去了街津口赫哲族渔业村,受到全村老少载歌载舞的夹道欢迎。远在数十里外的另一个八岔赫哲村渔民听到消息,也穿上民族服装,带上礼物,赶来认亲。鞭炮声响不断,热烈气氛超过刚过去没几天的春节。
通过交流,瓦列里发现同江的赫哲族博物馆尚不够完备,他回那乃区后不惜高价从市场上购得一个鹿头和一只棕熊标本,亲自送到同江。
通过交流,尤秀珍得知瓦列里与中国汉族老人由桂榛的关系,便主动与山东省海阳县委统战部联系,找到了老人的儿媳与孙子;尤秀珍亲手将回信交给瓦列里,帮他完成了这一夙愿。
通过交流,同江市与那乃区签订了友好市区协议、边境贸易协议,相互之间的来往像走亲戚一样频繁起来……
那乃区始建于1934年,每隔五年举办一次建区纪念活动。从1994年的60周年纪念开始,65周年纪念、70周年纪念、75周年纪念……尤秀珍都参加了。1985年,赫哲族首届文体大会在同江举行,1988年正式定名为乌日贡大会,每三年一届,还有赫哲建政纪念活动,瓦列里都受到了邀请。
尤秀珍从那乃人的萨满鼓、口弦琴、鹿神舞、狩猎歌中,听到了哺育自己的赫哲族文化;瓦列里从赫哲人的点圣香、祭圣水、敬神偶、送魂仪中,看见了至今犹在的那乃人宗教……随着历史和传统的进一步展示,二人越来越坚定这一信念:赫哲与那乃同祖同源,一定要互联、互通、互补、互助、共荣!
由于过于劳累,加上饮食的不注意,瓦列里患上了糖尿病综合症,不得不住院治疗,但当尤秀珍等中国的同族同胞来到那乃区访问时,他仍然亲自迎接并陪同到底。
尤秀珍说:“亲爱的瓦列里,你是区长,应该抓大事、管全局,找几个年轻人陪我们就可以了。”
瓦列里摇着头说:“不可以,不可以,亲爱的尤主席,陪你们就是我这两天的大事,至于全局工作已分给我的副手和委员们。”
“你的身体吃得消吗?如果……”
“你是说糖尿病吧,”他掀开外衣,露出绑在身上的自动胰岛素泵,用指尖点了点,笑着说,“有现代科技帮助,你可以放一百个心!”
从那乃区博物馆出来,瓦列里主动接上刚才的话题:“尤主席,你不是提到年轻人吗,我想得最多的就是这个问题,他们受过高等教育,比我们这辈人聪明能干,可也过于贪杯,往往因酒误事……”
“我们那边好一些。关键在于修养,响鼓尚需重槌敲嘛!”
“有道理,有道理,修养提高了,我们就可以把班交给他们了。”
2008年6月,尤秀珍与搞外事工作的尤玉生作为中国同江赫哲族代表,应邀到俄罗斯那乃区参加第一届远东民族手工艺国际联欢节,接待、陪同的都变成清一色的年轻人。两人正诧异间,瓦列里出现了,他笑模悠悠地说:“我在养精蓄锐,准备完成你们的一个心愿。”
尤玉生问:“什么心愿?”
“是尤主席十多年前提出来的,去阿纽河参观我的别墅。你们虽然来过这里多次,但是每一次的日程都挤得满满,根本没有空,这一次我专门做了安排。”
尤秀珍悄悄地用汉语对尤玉生说:“你没注意到他又瘦了一圈,脸色更加憔悴?他知道自己的时间不多了,所以急着还愿……”
阿纽河之行确实让尤秀珍与尤玉生开了眼界。如果把未受污染的阿纽河比喻成银河的话,那些坐落在河岸上的别墅就是星星,其中数瓦列里的最大、最耀眼。船行河上,河底是清澈可见的彩石,水中有不时跳上船头撞人胸脯的游鱼,头顶有不赶不走、叫不出名字的飞禽,岸上开着千姿百态颜色各异的野花……
见房就停靠,遇人就干杯,阿纽河之行受到最友好的接待,让参加者沉浸在美与梦幻之中。唯一的遗憾是在乘车返程时发现的:瓦列里筋疲力尽,只能躺着,儿子安那多里因为兴奋,从前一夜一直晕晕而醉。
尤秀珍噙着眼泪对瓦列里说:“我只不过随口提出的一个小小的要求,提过了也就忘记了,你竟不顾自己的身体来完成它,值得吗?”
瓦列里说:“值得,完全值得。”
两双手紧紧地握在一起,几滴晶莹、闪亮的泪珠正好落在手上……
2010年1月17日,尤秀珍接到那乃区政府的电话,说区长瓦列里因病不幸逝世,享年66岁。同江市政府立即发去了唁电,尤秀珍等也发去了唁电。
2014年6月,尤秀珍代表中国赫哲族给瓦列里扫墓。她把从中国带去的白酒、香烟、蛋糕和从哈巴罗夫斯克买来的菊花放在瓦列里的墓前,鞠躬,伫立,哀思。墓地青青,墓地静静。
2016年夏,中俄边境文化季系列活动在同江市隆重举行,成熟时节的芳香四处弥漫。8月9日,那乃区文艺工作者作专场演出,所有的人起立鼓掌,热烈之声传递得很长远,很长远……
(本文照片由作者拍摄、提供)
On an afternoon in June, 2014, You Xiuzhen, Municipal CPPCC deputy chair of Tongjiang City in Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China, walked out of the Nanai regional government building in Khabarovsk, a city in Russias Far East. Her first thought was to drop in on Valery Mikhailovich. This was going to be her sixth meeting with her “half-brother” in Khabarovsk.
“How have you been, Valery!” She greeted the man from afar, approaching Valerys home and seeing him standing in the courtyard.
The man turned out to be the son of Valery. “My son promised his father that he would dress up in the suit you gave to my husband as a present every time someone from China visits,” Valerys wife Liudmila showed up and explained. You Xiuzhen wept, throwing herself into the womans arms.
The Nanai people in Russia are a Tungusic people of the Far East, who have traditionally lived along Heilongjiang (Amur), Songhuajiang (Sunggari) and Ussuri River. The ancestors of the Nanais were the Jurchens of northernmost Manchuria.
“The Hezhen people in China and the Nanai people in Russia share the same ancestral roots. They had to part ways because of the Convention of Aihui and Convention of Peking signed between the Qing government and Tsarist Russia in 1858 and 1860,” You Xiuzhen explained, while recalling the stories told by the elder members of the family about how her great-great-grandfather once lived in a small village in the Far East in todays Russia and how her grandparents brought their children back to their home village in Heilongjiang.
“My aunt and uncle moved to Russia in 1932, and their whereabouts has since been a mystery to us.” You Xiuzhen mused.
Many of the elder generations of the Hezhen people left the world in hopelessness and sorrow because of such sad separation between family members. In 1986, border trade dialogues between Tongjiang City and Russia were restored. “Go find a way to rebuild a bond with our brothers and sisters among the Nanai people in Russia,” Yous father encouraged.
Fathers wish and You Xiuzhens determination was echoed by Valery, District Mayor of Nanai in the Far East of Russia. In his younger years, he received a lot of help and love from a neighbor who came from Chinas Shandong Province to make a living in Russia. The neighbor told him that the Hezhen people in northern China shared the same lifestyle and culture with Nanai people and they looked exactly alike. Before his death, the neighbor gave Valery a letter and asked him to forward the words about his death to his progeny in Shandong Province.
Valery made his first visit to Heilongjiang in 1990, setting out on a long journey to look for kindred in China. The first milestone in the restoration of the blood bond between the long-separated siblings came on February 25 of 1991 in Tongjiang City, where a delegation of Nanai people led by Valery met with a group of Hezhen cadres representing the local government to share the common wish and the excitement of reunion and speaking the same language.
“The memories about the hardship are too bitter to recall, but I never thought about quitting,” Valery said. All the disappointment and futility transformed into courage and more resolution. He then called for the effort of more Nanai people in Russia and worked closely with You Xiuzhen to fulfill his dream and the dream of the old neighbor from Shandong.
“It is the dream of generations of Hezhen and Nanai people coming to life.” You Xiuzhen announced in great excitement. “Whats more important is to remind future generations that the separation caused by historical reasons should not become an obstacle in our joint effort of building a better life for all,” she emphasized.
After lots of twists and turns, the daughter-in-law and grandson of the old man from Shandong were found. The trade communication between Tongjiang and Nanai region intensified as of the 1990s.
Valery passed away on January 17, 2010, at the age of 66.