Butterfly Mother : Miao (Hmong) Creation Epics from Guizhou, China

by Bender, Mark; Dan, Jin (CON); Ma, Xueliang (CON)

• ISBN13: 9780872208490
• ISBN10: 0872208494
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-30
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co Inc

Summary

A collection of epics from the Miao (Hmong) ethnic group of southwest China. The poetic narratives, traditionally performed by two groups of singers, relate the creation of the world and the peoples and creatures in it. One of the major figures in one series of the songs is Butterfly Mother (Mai Bang), a personified butterfly who lays the eggs that eventually lead to the creation of the local peoples. Rich in cultural lore, these mythic narratives are virtual encyclopedias of traditional myths, legends, and folk customs of the Miao people.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	viii
Key to Pronunciation for Eastern Miao Dialect Romanization	x
Map of Miao (Hmong) Areas in Southern Guizhou Province	xii
Preface by Jin Dan (Jenb Dangk)	xiii
Introduction	xv
Traditional Culture and the Epics	xvi
The Epics and Their Performance	xxvi
Part I, Prelude	1	(7)
Introduction	1	(3)
Prelude	4	(4)
Part II, Song of Gold and Silver	8	(63)
Introduction	8	(3)
Creating the Sky and Earth	11	(8)
Transporting Gold and Silver	19	(30)
Creating the Suns and Moons	49	(17)
Shooting Down the Suns and Moons	66	(5)
Part III, Song of the Ancient Sweet Gum	71	(40)
Introduction	71	(2)
The Seeds' House	73	(9)
Seeking the Tree Seeds	82	(10)
Plowing and Harrowing the Earth	92	(11)
Sowing the Seeds	103	(5)
Cutting Down the Ancient Sweet Gum	108	(3)
Part IV, Song of Butterfly Mother	111	(46)
Introduction	111	(2)
The Birth of Butterfly Mother	113	(2)
The Twelve Eggs	115	(7)
The Brothers Divide	122	(6)
Killing the Centipede	128	(8)
Searching for the Sacrificial Drums	136	(4)
Searching for the Sacrificial Ox	140	(6)
Searching for the Sacrificial Vestments	146	(6)
The Ancestor Sacrifice Hunt	152	(5)
Part V, The Great Flood	157	(12)
Introduction	157	(2)
The Great Flood	159	(10)
Part VI, Westwards, Upriver	169	(20)
Introduction	169	(1)
Westwards, Upriver	170	(19)
Notes	189	(23)
Selected Bibliography	212