Chapter 10 Part I Shaman Cultural Memory of the Oroqen Nationality-7

After a day's train ride, we arrived at the Oroqen Autonomous Banner on the Ali River, which is located at the southern foot of the Greater Khingan Mountains. The seat of the autonomous banner government is a small city with a beautiful environment.The population of the whole banner is 800,000, and the Oroqen population is less than 800. We first visited the Oroqen Nationality Museum here, which is a modern ethnic museum, and the building of the exhibition hall is also beautiful, like a big white boat sailing.On the form in the exhibition hall, we can see the surnames of the Oroqen clans here.The main surnames of the Oroqen people here are Kerteyer, whose Chinese surname is "He"; Baiyier, whose Chinese surname is "Bai"; The Chinese surname is "Meng"; Geweier, the Chinese surname is "Ge"; Chagejiri, the Chinese surname is "Chen"; Mao Kayier, the Chinese surname is "Bi" or "Zhao"; Alima , the Chinese surname is "Li".In addition, each surname here has several branches, and they also adopt different Chinese surnames.

The Oroqen cultural exhibits in the exhibition hall are very rich. Among the exhibits we visited, there are various gods that the Oroqen people once believed in, such as the god Ji Yaqi who protects livestock, the Zhuo Burkan god who worships at home, and the mask god and Many wooden puppets.There is a glass cabinet in the exhibition hall, which displays a Tiaoshen Shaman model similar to life size, and in front of it is a tuoluozi that is the same as the real object, and inside the tuoluozi sits a portrait of Oroqen wearing a hunter's costume .In the museum, I also saw a head-shaped "Bai Nacha" carved on the trunk of a big tree, which is a kind-faced male old man.During the investigation in Baiyinna Township, the author was told that people can tell which one is the "Bainacha" mountain god by the shape of the trees.The author once casually pointed to a medium-sized tree and said, is this a tree?Respondents said no.The one that can be used as "Bai Nacha" should be the strongest and oldest tree with straight branches and lush branches and leaves."Bai Nacha" is also ubiquitous in folklore.He can take the form of a beast or a man, bringing prey to the industrious and kind hunter, and punishing the lazy and unkind. (42) (43)

Next, we interviewed the famous singer of the Oroqen nationality, Erdenghang. She was 64 years old and retired.After we explained our intentions, she readily agreed to our request.She said that people younger than me can't remember much about this kind of thing, especially the younger generation, who have seen less and are very unfamiliar with national culture.You have found the right person for me. I have witnessed some old shamans dancing gods since I was a child, and I have also been a person who sang in ceremonies. She said that there used to be a shaman named Bu Keqi in her family's village. When he danced the gods, her (Erdenhang) grandmother often sang for him.Grandma is old and lacks strength, so let her sing along.Her voice was good, and the shaman was very satisfied. Later, she often performed ceremonies with this shaman and sang shaman songs for him.

Although she sang along to the shaman song, she didn't quite understand the meaning of the lyrics and could only memorize the tunes of different gods.What kind of gods are invited, what tunes are played, the gods invited are different, and the tunes of the shamans are also different.So as soon as you listen to the tune, you will know which god is coming.For example, when a shaman sends out measles, whooping cough and other epidemics and infectious diseases, he must call the god "Zegeg" and sing in a low voice when sending this god (not only shamans can send this god, but ordinary people can also send it). this god).People use wood to make a gate, then make a small gate, and tell this god: the gate is open, the small gate is open, please go out from the gate, go out from the small gate, walk along the wind, walk along the river, and walk along the road , keep going forward.This deity is a doll cut out of paper, put it on a wicker stick or on a stick, and give it something to eat.When sending this god out, hold the wooden stick with both hands and mutter some prayers while walking out, and send it far away, and the person who sent it out cannot turn back when he returns.This ceremony is done every spring (March and April in the lunar calendar).

She also introduced that the songs sung when the gods came always told people how far he was from here, how he got here, how hard he was on the road, and asked why he was invited.If the gods do not come down when inviting the gods, everyone encourages the shaman, sings hard, and gives the shaman strength so that the gods can quickly attach themselves to the shaman.When God came down, the drums were urgently played, and everyone shouted and sang together, and the scene was very lively. Obviously Erden Hang is a rare insider of shaman culture.She has a clear mind and a strong memory, and her introduction has provided us with very useful academic enlightenment.

What she talked about generally includes the following points. 1.Shaman categories of Oroqen She said: Gillian shaman is the biggest shaman in the tribe.Gillian Shaman is a Mokun (clan) shaman, and there is only 1 in a clan.Every spring in the third month of the lunar calendar, there are often three days of dancing to the gods, and Ajiaoru shaman will invite the gods one by one.It is said that the biggest shaman can invite 72 gods.When inviting gods, some gods are willing to come, and some are not willing to come. A shaman who can invite all the gods is a veritable shaman, or a shaman with a full range of gods.

The shaman skirt has 12 cloth strips, representing 12 months, and there are also 6 cloth strips. The god skirt of the great shaman is double-layer cloth strips, indicating that his gods are complete.Only Gillian shaman's hat has antlers, other shamans don't.Antler forks can be upgraded, and a large shaman can reach 8 or 9 forks.The new shaman has only one fork.There is a cuckoo in the hat. Its voice is the highest and loudest, and it is dedicated to conveying information between humans and gods.The shaman drum is made of the skin of the spring male roe deer, and the drumsticks are made of the legs of the roe deer.There is a ring in the middle of the drum. Pull three ropes to the edge of the drum, and hold the ring to turn the drum.There are small colored cloth strips tied on the shaman's clothing, which are hung on the body of the person cured by the shaman.

There is another kind of shaman called Deleku shaman. He is a second-class wandering shaman. There are two or three such shamans in a clan.The Dracula shaman has a costume and a god hat, but there is no cuckoo on the hat, no staghorn fork.The treatment of diseases is the same as that of the great shaman of the clan, and the gods offered are also the same. This kind of shaman is passed down according to the blood of the clan.Three years after the death of the Deleku shaman, he returned to catch a new shaman.Sometimes it is the great shaman of the clan who trains him, and sometimes the shaman himself can train newcomers.

There is a small shaman called Sun Duosuo, who just sends smallpox, and those who die of smallpox are called heaven, because smallpox is a thing in the sky.This kind of little shaman wears silk and satin around his body, and puts colorful flags on his body. 2.The Birth of Oroqen Shaman Erdengua said that people who can become shamans are often sick for several years, have no blood color, and are thin.So please shaman to see a doctor.The shaman should ask whether the patient's elders have a shaman, when to train him to be a shaman, and which month and day he can dance gods.If time goes by and no one understands the gods, the men and women of the clan will always get sick and have problems, or the animals cannot be hunted when hunting, or the livestock at home will die of illness.Some families died because of this.Therefore, for the safety of the clan, the Oroqen people will dance to the gods as soon as they find a patient who has become a shaman.The married female shaman is also valued by the tribe, if she is not treated well, her natal family will be punished.

When Gillian's new shaman is born, it must be confirmed by Tiaoshen.When dancing the gods, invite Mukun Shaman and Deleku Shaman from other clans to help the new shaman dance the gods.Three years ago, the people from Mokun prepared the food and supplies needed for the Tiaoshen, and made the shaman costumes.When performing Tiaoshen, build a Xie Ren Zhu (that is, Cuo Luo Zi), the gate of Xie Ren Zhu faces southeast, insert two pine tree poles in the door, insert two pine tree poles outside the door, and connect the tree poles inside and outside the door with red thread. pull on.Old and new shamans dance outside the door, one behind the other, and sometimes they also enter the door and dance around the red line.The shaman Tiaoshen walks in circles next to the red line, and the gods walk up from the top of the tree when they walk.During the process of dancing the gods, the gods possessed the new shaman.If there is no Tiaoshen for more than three years, large animals, such as cattle, should be offered during the sacrifice; within three years, small animals can be offered, and sheep can be used instead of cattle.You don't need a knife to kill cattle and sheep, but aim the shaman drum at their foreheads to knock them down and kill them.After the cattle and sheep are sacrificed to the gods, everyone eats meat together.

During the dance of the gods, the new shaman lost his mind (possessed by the gods), and the gods began to speak, and he said all the things that people didn't know.While weeping, he said that he is the grandfather of the first few generations of the new shaman. What is his name? In order to find his successor, he has worked hard for several generations and searched for many people, and finally found a shaman seed.Generally, when a new shaman falls into a trance, he always tells everyone who the ancestor of his family is, what his name is, and whose body he is possessing now. When the god returns, the drum in the shaman's hand is sent upwards. If it is to drive out ghosts, the drum is turned over and fanned back and forth.The shaman's mask is only worn when necessary, such as for fear of discovery or when expelling ghosts. 3.The shaman gods of the Oroqen people She also said that the god Gillian is the biggest god, who protects the safety of the whole tribe and cures diseases and miscarriages.The biggest of Gillian's gods is the dragon. It comes along with the wind, and when you hear the wind, you know it's coming.Gillian Confucian gods also have bears and tigers.The tiger embroidered on the shaman skirt exhibited in the Oroqen Autonomous Banner Exhibition Hall is the god Gillian.In the past, good shamans could invite tiger gods, wind dragons, and black bears when they invited gods.Hearing the sound of the wind and the sound of black bears looking for food, they knew that the gods were coming, but no one dared to look at them, nor could they.Legend has it that after the death of the ancestors of the Oroqen people, their souls became Ajiaoru, and this soul was passed on to Ajiaoru shaman. She said that every Mokun (clan) has Mokun Seon (Syon is a god), and this god can only be passed down from descendants, regardless of male or female ).If the god came and landed on a certain person, and the clan did not allow him to receive the god, the god would eat up the entire Mokun people.This god will come back within three generations.Gillian Ruburkan is the ancestor god, and a family must provide for him.Gillian means root, which refers to the root of future generations, and Burkan means god. Erdenggua is the most talkative Oroqen person we have seen, which may have something to do with her experience as a state cadre.She still remembers the traditions of her people's past, but she is never sad about the passing of these traditions.She is a very rational realist. When talking with us, she often mentioned how to develop the local national economy.She seems to think that improving the real life of the Oroqen people is the top priority, just like she hopes that she and her family can live a good life.