Dongba Dance" and the Positioning of the Cuomo Dance Notation
This article examines "Dongba Dance" among the Naxi people of Lijiang, Yunnan, and the disputed classification of the pictographic dance manual Cuomo. Dongba priests, who serve as shamans, scripture-keepers, and cultural transmitters, perform dance-like martial movements during sacrificial and exorcistic rituals. Discovered in 1960 and translated in 1980, Cuomo records 60 movement sequences; dance scholars call it the "oldest dance notation," while sports/martial arts scholars call it the "oldest boxing manual." Tracing Naxi ethnic origins to ancient Qiang peoples and their long tradition of song and dance, the author reviews Dongba pictographic script's history since the Song dynasty and categorizes existing "Dongba Dance" (200+ types) into five groups: worship, animal-mimicry, footwork, ritual-implement, and martial dances. The author argues Cuomo is one representative text among many Dongba scriptures containing dance/martial symbols, reflecting the Naxi people's valorization of both physical expression and martial valor.
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