Chapter 15 Section 2 "Janger" and "Jangerqi"

"Janger" is a long and great work handed down orally by the Mongolian people of our country, and it is also a classic of their life from generation to generation. It consists of many hero stories, each hero story becomes an independent chapter.Between chapters, some have plot coherence, while others have no chronological order.This epic has positive heroic images throughout. The central character is Jianger, followed by the heroes headed by Jianger, Hong Gil, Alatan Tseji, Sanara, Sabul, Mingyan and so on.Different stories change different negative images.So far, there are no accurate figures for the chapters of this epic.It is said that no one can finish singing it, and whoever finishes singing it will die.This is of course a superstition, but it is also a wish.For the prosperity of the national community, people yearn for the eternal life of heroes.So again, it's an epic that never ends.

At present, there is a relatively unanimous opinion that this epic was first circulated among the Oirats of Ximeng, Xinjiang, and at the same time among the Kalmyks (Turghut tribe of the Mongolian nationality) on the Volga River (formerly known as the Yijile River) in the former Soviet Union. ) is also circulated.The hometown of the Turghute Department was originally in the Kent-Hangaishan area, which is now in the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic.During the period of Genghis Khan, the Mongolian army marched westward on a large scale. The Uighurs (Uighurs) in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the Haralu in the Balkhash Lake area in the northwest of Xinjiang, and the Xiliao in the Yili River Basin and Tarim River Basin in Xinjiang were all captured this time. conquer.The Turhut tribe probably moved to Altai and Tacheng at the end of the 13th century after the Western Expedition, so the epic poem "Janger" often appears Altai Mountain, Irtysh River and other place names.From this, scholars concluded that the origin of "Janger" was in Xinjiang.The origin time is still inconclusive. Some say it was after the rise of slavery, and some say it was the period of feudal lordship.Most researchers tend to the former.

In 1729 (the second year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty), the lords of the Turghut tribe and Orlek were threatened by the lord of the Junggar tribe, Harahula, and led the Turghut people to move westward, with a total of 50,000 households and 250,000 people. , grazing in the lower reaches of the Yijile River.These were the Kalmyks in Russia later.When they migrated, they brought their cultural wealth "Janger" with them and continued to sing it. In 1771 (the thirty-sixth year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty), the Kalmyks returned to the motherland under the leadership of their leader Wabashi because they could not bear the national discrimination and oppression of Tsarist Russia, and because they could not understand the language and habits of the local people.Unfortunately, encountering the surge of the Yijile River and the blockade by Tsarist Russian armed forces along the way, there were heavy casualties among people and animals, and there were only more than 70,000 people left. After more than half a year of trekking, they returned to the embrace of the motherland in August and were cleared in the Yili area. government placement.Since then, he has lived in the Altai Mountains.The "Janger" that was taken away by them was brought back by them.Some of the Kalmyks who failed to move back still stayed in the Ilji River.Therefore, this epic was also circulated in the Volga River Basin of the former Soviet Union.

According to legend, before the Turghuts moved westward to the Yijile River, there was an old shepherd who could recite all the "Janger" handed down locally.Every time he learned a chapter, he put a stone in his arms.In the end, he carried a total of 70 stones of different colors. The 70th chapter of "Janger" is speculated based on this legend. After liberation, there were still more than 12,000 Mongolians in the Hebukser Mongol Autonomous County in the northwest of Xinjiang.They left a deep impression on the migration in history.Among them, those talented singers who can sing more than five chapters of "Janger" are called "Jangerqi".This is a very honorable title. The dissemination, preservation, enrichment, and processing of "Janger" are mainly attributed to Jiangerqi.

Singing "Jangerqi" is an important cultural life of the Mongolian people. Princes, lamas and herdsmen will invite Jiangerqi to sing at home every festival.The palace invited them to sing "Janger" for two reasons: one is that it has religious factors, and all the heroes headed by Jianger are regarded as the incarnation of Buddha, and they are believed to have the function of conquering the devil and can dispel [ Qu district] Evil.The second is pastime and entertainment. Most of the people who learn to sing "Janger" are herdsmen, herding is the main thing, and amateur singing.Some learned it from Lao Jiangerqi, and a few literate people also memorized it from manuscripts.

There are generally no rituals for singing, and only in some areas, before singing, incense and Buddha lamps must be lit. Singers must kowtow to pray, and close the doors and windows of the yurt to avoid disasters.There is also an unwritten rule in the habit. If you start to listen to the singing, you have to sing the whole chapter and listen to it from beginning to end. Therefore, it is often carried out all night long. In the Mongolian nationality, singing "Janger" is a national activity, regardless of class, class, gender or age, everyone loves to listen to it.The excellent Jiangerqi is very prestigious, and the Khan, the king, and the Living Buddha have Jiangerqi who sings for themselves. The prince also organizes singing competitions and rewards the best singers.

However, this kind of activity is more among the folks, usually singing to the herdsmen by the fire in the long winter night, and Jiangerqi drinks milk wine and porridge with the masses.For wedding sacrifices, Jiangerqi is the most active singer, historical singer and master of ceremonies.Wherever Jiangerqi went, he always brought joy to people. As early as the beginning of this century, the study of "Janger" has become international. Scholars from the former Soviet Union, the People's Republic of Mongolia, Hungary, the former Czechoslovakia, Germany, Britain, the United States, France, Japan, and Finland have all become interested in this epic .

"Janger" is rich in connotation, peculiar in imagination, simple and unrestrained in style, healthy in thought, and full of changes in the story.People can deeply understand the inevitability of history through the magnificent history of the epic.Dear readers, it is of course impossible to grasp the whole picture of "Janger" in such a short space, but you might as well get acquainted with some of the main heroes.