A Survey of the Restoration of the Naxi Dongba Longevity Ritual (Qiushou)
This article reports on a 2005 field investigation to revive the Naxi Dongba religion's "Qiu Shou" (life-extension/longevity prayer) ritual, unperformed for over 60 years. Initiated by Xia Yuji and Zhang Fulong after a 2003-2004 trip to Lijiang, the project team—including experts from the Lijiang Dongba Culture Research Institute and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences—spent 15 months preparing before conducting fieldwork from April 1-7, 2005, in Shuming Village, Tacheng Township. The Qiu Shou ritual is described as the largest and most complex Dongba ceremony, combining dozens of sub-rituals, requiring many participants, extensive time, and high costs. The team urgently prioritized the study because Old Dongba He Xiu, the only living witness to the last such ritual (held for his own family), was elderly and in poor health. The ritual was ultimately performed for young Dongba Yang Yuhua's family, chosen for their eight-generation Dongba lineage.
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