South of the Clouds

by Guo, Xu; Miller, Lucien; Xu, Kun

• ISBN13: 9780295973487
• ISBN10: 029597348X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr

Summary

The tales included here represent all of Yunnan Province's officially designated ethnic minorities, and include creation myths, romances, historical legends, tales explaining natural phenomena, ghost stories, and festival tales. The tales are peopled by memorable characters, such as the Tibetan mother who, reborn as a cow, comforts and helps her daughter into her harsh life as a slave girl; the two Kucong sisters who marry snakes; and the bodiless Lahu "head-baby" who grows up to win one of the earth-god Poyana's daughters in marriage. Chosen for their representativeness, aesthetic appeal, and variety, the stories provide rich examples of the folk traditions of Southwest China.South of the Cloudsincludes introductions and an appendix which describe the places and people of Yunnan, analyze the literary and psychological characteristics of their stories, give the sources of the tales, and explain the methodology of collecting folk literature in China.

Table of Contents

Preface
General Introduction	p. 3
Introduction to Yunnan National Minority Folk Literature	p. 41
Myths Concerning the Creation of the World (Drung)	p. 59
The Origin of Making Offerings to Ancestors (Jino)	p. 68
The Formation of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind (Lisu)	p. 74
Sunbird Creates the Sun and the Moon (Miao)	p. 85
Great God Gumiya (Blang)	p. 88
The Origin of the Sixth Month Sacrifice (Buyi)	p. 97
The Ancestors of Dai Singers (Dai)	p. 102
The Water-Splashing Festival (Dai)	p. 104
Why Sui People Live in Two-Story Wooden Loft-Houses (Sui)	p. 107
The Torch Festival (Yi)	p. 114
A Blang Youth (Blang)	p. 119
Daughter of a Slave (Tibetan)	p. 122
Wild Goose Like (Bai)	p. 130
Wine-Flavored Spring (Hani)	p. 134
Stories about Bubo (Zhuang)	p. 137
Two Sisters and the Boa (Kucong)	p. 153
The Gold Pig (Mongol)	p. 158
The Arrogant Tiger (Wa)	p. 166
The Gathering of the Birds (Yuo)	p. 170
Sun, Moon, and Stars (Jingpo)	p. 175
The Magic Shoulder Pole (Yi)	p. 181
Nabulousi, the Life-Restoring Tree (Lahu)	p. 185
The Nine Brothers (Yi)	p. 190
The Head-Baby (Lahu)	p. 194
Mr. Crooked and Mr. Straight (Jingpo)	p. 205
Asking Permission (Hui)	p. 210
Five Tales about Ayidan (Naxi)	p. 214
The Clever Sister (Nu)	p. 223
The Guileless Man and the Trickster (Primi)	p. 228
The Girl with Tufted Eyebrows (Achang)	p. 235
The Rainbow (De'ang)	p. 241
The Rhinoceros Hornbill (Dai)	p. 244
Longsi and the Third Princess (Yao)	p. 248
The Cloud That Longs for a Husband (Bai)	p. 255
The Nanxi River (Dai)	p. 259
Appendix: Traditional Yunnan Ethnic Minority Cultures	p. 265
Glossary	p. 293
Bibliography	p. 309
Index	p. 321
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