The Dongba Scriptures and Ancient Naxi Culture
This article examines the Dongba Scriptures (《东巴经》), a vast corpus of over 500 volumes and seven million characters written in the Naxi people's pictographic script ("senjiu lujiu"), used for over ten centuries in the Lijiang, Zhongdian, and Weixi regions. The author highlights the scriptures as a rich treasury of Naxi literature, particularly ancient mythology reflecting early Naxi life. It describes numerous deities (sky, earth, sun, moon, thunder, and others) and demons populating these myths. Special attention is given to the "Genesis" (《创世纪》) epic, detailing creation, a great flood, and the hero Cong Ren Li'en's struggles against heavenly gods and floods. Other notable myths discussed include "Man and Dragon," "Killing the Fierce Demon," "Seeking Medicine," "Black-White War," and "Duosha'ao Du," each reflecting themes like human struggles against floods, hunting hardships, and disease, illustrating the Naxi people's early literary and cultural development.
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