Ashima and Gamo Anyo: Aspects of Two “Yi” Narrative Poems

CHINOPERL Papers No. 27 (2007)©2007 by the Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, Inc. ASHIMA AND GAMO ANYO: ASPECTS OF TWO “YI” NARRATIVE POEMS * Mark Bender (The Ohio State University) “Ethnic Commonalities” and Yi Folk Literature The Yi 彝 is one of the largest and most diverse ethnic groups in southwest China, with dozens of subgroups that differ culturally and linguistically.1 In recent years the topic of what holds together this diverse group of people is much debated among scholars concerned with Yi ethnic history, identity, and ethnic identification (Harrell 1995; Harrell 2001).2 For many native Yi scholars, the heart of the discussion is the concept of shared “ethnic commonalities” (“rentong” 認同) in terms of history, tradition, and language, or a more emotional or spiritually based “sense of ethnic commonalities” (“rentong gan” 認同感). 1 The Yi ethnic group is situated in the mountains of western Guizhou, northern, southern, and central Yunnan, western Guangxi, and southern Sichuan provinces (Harrell, ed. 2001; Mueggler 2001; Swain 2000). The group numbers around eight million and is comprised of dozens of subgroups, with names such as Lipo 俚潑, Lolopo 羅羅潑, Nisu 尼蘇, Nasu 納蘇, Axi 阿細, Azhe 阿哲—as well as the Sani and the Nuosu (also spelled “Nosu”) discussed herein. The six major Yi language clusters are all in the Lolo-Burmese branch of the Tibeto-Burman family (Bradley 2005:2-5). The traditional script varies by region, and is used by ritual specialists, known as bimo, for recording genealogies, history, literature, and folklore (Bamo 2001). A standardized syllabary based on 819 traditional graphs keyed to the phonetic system of Northern Yi has been in use since the 1970s in southern Sichuan. In this article, I use Romanization based on that system for Nuosu words. Transcriptions of Sani made in Mainland China typically give pronunciation equivalents in IPA symbols, though commonly occurring names are often presented in Chinese characters. 2 Since 1995, a series of international conferences on Yi Studies co-sponsored by Chinese and foreign institutions have been held in Germany, the USA, and Shilin,Yunnan Province. The 2005 Fourth International Yi Studies Conference took place in Meigu county, Greater Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan (Bender 2005a: 305–8). Other conferences in China have been hosted by various national sponsors to explore aspects of Yi culture and literature. CHINOPERL Papers No. 27 210 Discussions at recent conferences have engaged various elements of traditional Yi folk culture, including the rich traditions of oral and oralconnected folk literature and their contributions to shared identity(s) among certain subgroups. Wu Ga 伍呷 (Luovu Vugashynyumo), for instance, examines similarities of theme among folk narratives of several Yi subgroups such as the creation of the sky and earth, accounts of a devastating flood and a surviving brother and sister who become the ancestors of the human race, the division of the Six Clans (liuzhi 六支) of the early Yi, the creation of Yi writing and feats of bimo 畢摩 priests (the main ritualists of most Yi subgroups), and funeral chants for leading souls to the land of the dead, among others (Wu 1998). Wang Jichao 王 繼超 (Aluoxingde 阿洛興德), one of the foremost translators of Yi traditional texts into Chinese and an associate of the Yi cultural research institute in Bijie 畢節, Guizhou province, has examined ancient Yi historical accounts, legends, and literary works from across the Yi regions, including accounts of the Six Clans. (Some texts say the clans split up over 2,000 years ago.) Wang notes the existence of deep links among texts from the various Yi groups yet also recognizes local variation, arising from changes over time and space (Wang 2002; Kang, et al 1997). The scholar of Sani 撒尼 folklore Huang Jianming 黃建明, has compared narratives from Yi subgroups and other ethnic groups in Yunnan (Huang 2004: 330-407). In a study of ritual texts used in bimo rituals of the Nuosu 諾蘇, folklorist Bamo Qubumo 巴莫曲布嫫, compares their form and content with texts from other Yi groups, stating that, “every song from the river of time retains certain basic features and qualities, and even local color, that reflect the deep sense of ‘root-bone’” of the Yi traditions (2001b: 471-72). Given this interest in what unites yet divides the various Yi subgroups, this paper seeks to further...