The Literature of the "Dongba Holy Land"
Based on the author's July 1985 fieldwork, this article examines Baidi, a Naxi settlement in Sanba, Zhongdian County, Yunnan, revered as the sacred site of the Naxi Dongba religion. Baidi's distinctiveness stems from three factors: deep Dongba religious influence, historical proximity to and cultural absorption from Tibetan areas, and geographic isolation preserving archaic customs and a natural economy. These conditions shape local folk literature, giving it pronounced Dongba religious coloring, some Tibetan flavor, and unusually authentic, pristine Naxi ethnic character. Dongba priests, often also folk singers versed in cultural lore and proverbs, reinforce religion's grip on daily life—naming, marriage, funerals, healing, divination—and function as an unwritten marker of ethnic identity distinguishing Naxi from neighboring peoples despite strong Tibetan influence. The article illustrates these dynamics through local legends and customary songs tied to sacred sites and rituals, notably the White Water Terraces (Baishuitai), worshipped as the embodiment of Dongba founder Dongba Shiluo, with an accompanying origin legend involving a contest with the Buddha Maitreya, exemplifying the fusion of belief, ritual, and oral literature unique to this region.
This page publishes the bibliographic record and the project's summary. The scanned article text belongs to its publisher and is shown to readers under a research-use policy; it is not reproduced in this record.