Where Goddess Gemu Reigns: On the Historical Spread and Social Status of Tibetan Buddhism and Its Music among the Mosuo of Yunnan
This article examines the historical spread and social status of Tibetan Buddhism and its music among the Mosuo people (self-named "Na," academically termed "Eastern Naxi"), roughly 40,000 people living mainly in Ninglang Yi Autonomous County, Lijiang, Yunnan, and in Yanyuan and Muli counties, Sichuan. The Mosuo maintain matrilineal households and the distinctive "walking marriage" (azhu) system, alongside worship of the goddess Gemu and belief in both the indigenous Daba religion and Tibetan Buddhism. Tracing transmission back to 1276 (Yuan dynasty), the author shows how Mongol political patronage—particularly Kublai Khan's ties with Sakya lama Phagpa—helped the Sakya sect flourish among the Mosuo and Pumi, following earlier Kagyu dominance. Despite "three rises and falls" across the 20th century, including suppression after the 1950s and revival since the 1980s, Tibetan Buddhism became deeply integrated into Mosuo culture and everyday musical practices, including chanting, prayer recitation, and ritual accompaniment.
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