Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Humans, Volume 13

Page 10

The illustration shows a figure representing the Nümule people, standing in a dignified pose. They are dressed in a heavy, patterned robe that reaches the floor, suggesting the "leather clothing" mentioned in the text, and wear a distinctively textured or fur-trimmed headpiece. This visual serves to categorize the group for a Ming audience by their outward appearance and material culture.

The Nümule people possess walled cities and settlements; they wear leather clothing and rear cattle and sheep. The Tatars have visited their lands.

The people of Nümule original: 女幕樂. A phonetic transcription of a foreign name. While its exact modern identity is debated, it likely refers to a tribal group in the northern frontier or Siberia, possibly associated with the Merkits or groups near the Amur river basin. live in areas with walled cities and settlements original: 人烟. Literally "human smoke," a poetic Chinese term for the smoke rising from cooking fires, indicating a populated, settled area..

Their primary garments are clothing made of leather original: 韋皮衣. Specifically refers to processed animal hides or soft leather, which provided essential insulation in the cold northern regions.. They are a pastoral people who rear cattle and sheep for their livelihood. It is noted that the Tatars original: 韃靼. The general term used during the Ming Dynasty for the Eastern Mongols. have previously traveled to and reached their territory, indicating a level of contact between these northern groups.