A Brief Introduction to the Naxi Dongba Dance Notation
This article introduces the "Dongba Dance Notation" (东巴舞谱), a rare surviving dance manuscript preserved among the vast Dongba scriptures of the Naxi people, an ethnic group with a long history in southwestern China's Jinsha and Yalong River valleys, who created a pictographic script called "Ssergiu Lugiu." The author traces the discovery, translation, and compilation of four known notation texts held by the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences' Dongba Culture Research Office, describing efforts by scholars and elder Dongba priests (including Yang Wanxun and He Yaoxian) to locate, donate, and translate these manuscripts beginning in 1979-1983. The two earliest texts came from Lijiang's library, while two more were later donated from private collections in Lashi and Taian townships, each with distinct characteristics in movement complexity and completeness. The article notes praise from Chinese dance experts, who regard the notation as a valuable national cultural heritage documenting authentic ancient Naxi ritual dance movements, and begins outlining its basic content, dating its origin to the transition from primitive to class society.
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