Tibetan Cultural Influence on the Naxi People as Seen Through the Material Form of Dongba Scriptures
This article examines Tibetan cultural influence on the Naxi people by analyzing the material form—rather than just the content—of Dongba scriptures, the pictographic texts used in Naxi Dongba religious practice. While scholars have long noted Tibetan influence through Dongba religion's names, deities, Bon incantations, and Tibetan vocabulary embedded in the texts, the physical form of the scriptures has been largely overlooked. The author argues that Naxi awareness of Tibetan scriptures' material form dates back early, as illustrated by a widespread legend about Dingba Shiluo (the Dongba patriarch) disrupting loose-leaf Tibetan lamas' scriptures. Analyzing the scripture's script, materials, shapes, and production methods, the author demonstrates clear Tibetan influence on Dongba scriptures' physical form. Since these scriptures symbolize Naxi material culture, this influence provides additional, complementary evidence—beyond content-based studies—of Tibetan culture's broader impact on the Naxi people.
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