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Some ethnic groups have no written languages, as
their cultures have been handed down orally. When a grand
traditional ceremony is held, the respected master of a
sacrificial ceremony or an elder would tell or chant stories of
long, long ago. For example, the Dongba, a Naxi master at a
sacrificial ceremony, would tell the following story. At the
beginning of life there was chaos when the earth was first
separated from heaven. First, there was vapor, then fog, and then
there was an egg. The egg separated into white and black, and
produced gods, ghosts and all things on earth. From this tale, it
seems that man's view of the creation can be very strange.
Research has shown that all the Creation tales in the world can be
traced back to Yunnan minority tales, such as the separation of
earth and heaven, the birth of man and animals, the world tree
supporting the heavens, and animals supporting the heavens. Other
tales include the origin of man and all things on earth, the
flood, the creation of culture, the Creator and the heroes, and
folk customs. They all take an important position in the treasure
house of Chinese fairy tales. Folk legends are
always popular. They cover the natural landscapes of mountains and
valleys, people and history, religious beliefs, ethics and folk
customs from very ancient times to the present. Stories covering
every conceivable happening in life are told, from the origin of
mountains and rivers, to the significance of the embroidery on
clothes. Tales such as the Legend of the Divine Ganmunu Mountain
", which reflects the customs of the matriarchal society along the
Lugu Lake, and the "Twelve Brothers of the Yulong Mountain and the
Jinsha River Girls" which explains the origin of mountains and
rivers, and the stories about the decorations worn on the heads of
the Yi and Sani girls, are still passed down from generation to
generation. Folk people chant or recite epic stories
written in poetic verses and ballads. Over one hundred narrative
ballads have already been published. They include fairy tales,
tales of heroes and migrations, and moving ballads about love. The
best-known ones are " Gemei" of the Yi people, "Creation" of the
Bai people, "Genesis" of the Naxi people, the Tibetans' "Gesar",
the "Ancient Ballad " of the Miao ethnic group," Zhaoshutun" of
the Dai ethnic group, and "Ashima" of the Sani people. Songs about
love, marriage, funerals, building houses, transplanting rice
seedlings, pastoral songs, fishing, hunting, praying, and songs of
praise, drinking songs and cradlesongs abound. |
