The Natural Ecology and Development of Naxi Dongba Script
Zhao Liming argues, from field research in Yunnan (Baidi, Youmi, Baoshan, Ludian), that Dongba script -- traditionally an incomplete, "words-without-characters" religious script used only by priests -- has in practice long since broken out of that religious confinement into full secular use. Drawing on roughly 70 collected practical documents spanning more than 300 years (land deeds, account books, meeting minutes, letters, couplets, children's songs), some fully word-for-word, the article documents Dongba script's dual character of ritual conservatism and everyday adaptability, profiles specific Dongba priests (He Shukun, Yang Zhashi, He Maochun) who write and teach it today, and concludes that Dongba script is gradually maturing into a genuine, general-purpose Naxi script rather than remaining solely a religious one.
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