Chapter 16 The second part of Xinjiang Qapqal Xibe folklore-6

For a long time, the shamans of the Xibe nationality did not completely break away from their daily life and specialized in witchcraft and sacrificial activities. This semi-professional status has already freed shamans’ religious activities from the influence and restrictions of blood relations and entered into a regional occupation. development track.Of course, in this development, the inherent constraints of blood relationship still play a role in some aspects, the most prominent aspect of which is the familial nature of shamanic inheritance. The consistent religious activities of shamans are bound to be accompanied by regional activities. The regional characteristics of shamanism have already formed in the Xibe people.

First of all, let's look at the shaman inheritance that the master teaches the apprentice.As we all know, regional shamanism professional behaviors can be unified only by breaking clan boundaries, so although shamanism needs mystical associations from blood relations, this association must adapt to the needs of secular society and regional shamanism occupations development needs.As a result, a special development pattern in which regionalized master-student inheritance and mystified blood lineage coexist emerged.In this kind of coexistence, regional factors are getting more and more attention, and it is almost the criterion for evaluating shamans.

Shamans of the Xibe nationality pay attention to the teaching of masters. A certain master has powerful mana and a famous reputation, and as his apprentice, he is also proud, honored and honored.In the survey, we found that people are most interested in the master-student relationship between the big shamans who climbed the knife ladder. For example, Erxi (born about 1856), the copyist of "Shaman Divine Song", is Nalashi, Belonging to San Niu Lu, he was a famous shaman of this Niu Lu during his lifetime.He once accepted a Phra Shaman of Niulu Wuzala family as his apprentice, and after he went up the knife ladder to leave his apprentice, he copied a copy of the divine song to him.Prashaman is still well-known until now, and is recognized as a great shaman by the Xibe people.During his lifetime, Pashaman received this book from a female shaman from Guan Jia's family. She studied as a teacher for three years and gained a great reputation because of her success in climbing the knife ladder.The female shaman's apprentice was one of our investigation subjects, Yong Fuqing, but according to folklore, the female shaman did not finish teaching, and Yong Fuqing did not go up the knife ladder, so she was just a monk shaman (an unknown shaman) ).

It is believed that after the master dies, the apprentice should do what he did not finish.Apprentices not only have to take care of the master's funeral, but also continue to open up the path of shamanism and teach disciples and grandchildren.Otherwise, the soul of the master cannot be sent to the shaman shrine.It is this kind of professional honor that strengthens the legitimacy and authority of the master-student inheritance.Often on the second day after the shaman successfully climbed the knife ladder, the master took the new shaman to show his identity to the local residents and bless them.They walked through the streets, visited the villagers, and sang songs of praise for each family.In order to thank him for his blessing and comfort, people send money, food, cloth, etc. After the new shaman sells these things, he buys shaman clothes for himself.The great shaman brings fame and glory to the area he lives in. When people talk about him, they often say that he is the shaman of a certain Niulu, not a shaman of a certain clan.

Secondly, the inheritance between master and apprentice must have had an impact on the structure of the clan gods.The shaman master and his gods with different surnames may become the gods of the apprentices and occupy a place in his god image, which makes the shaman gods spread more and more.The most fundamental change in the structure of gods lies in the emergence of professional shamans and ancestors.Yisanzhu's mother is the common ancestor of Xibe shamans, and she lives in the shamanic holy place - the shaman yard.Among the shamanistic gods, according to Yong Zhijian, she is supreme and dominates everything.The ancestor gods of different surnames and various shaman gods are her subordinates and servants, awed by her power, and obey her orders.In the shaman god picture, Yisanzhu's mother stands tall at the end of the knife ladder, surrounded by many gods, ancestor gods of different surnames, and various shaman gods are ranked left and right according to their ranks.According to the shaman song "Eighteen Karen", human shamans can only meet her if they pass through eighteen gates full of difficulties and dangers, and with her permission, they can be formally registered in the register, and then they can be qualified as shamans and perform magic dances.

When Mother Isanzhu was enshrined as the common supreme god of the shaman group, the shaman of the Xibe nationality had broken through clan and personal boundaries, and embarked on a regional and professional development path.This kind of creed has developed a consistent supreme god and god structure model in the diverse clan shamanism, which has promoted the unity of shamanism beliefs in the entire region, thus turning shamanism into a new form of belief. Thirdly, most of the shamanism activities of the Xibe ethnic group are regional, especially around the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which is regarded as the shaman festival, which is the concentrated date of religious activities. Surnames, inviters of each Niulu preside over different ceremonies.For example, on the day of August 15, 1993, Guan Shumei performed a ceremony of offering sacrifices to the fox fairy for a certain family to expel evil spirits;Yong Fuqing also held an apprenticeship ceremony at home.The next morning Yong Fuqing held another ceremony for a patient.In the afternoon, he held a shaman god adoption ceremony for the four-year-old child.