The Path of Ancestral Roots (The Discovery of a Mysterious Witch Map)

Author: Song Zhaolin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: This book introduces an ancient and mysterious magical diagram called Namuyi, which resembles picture books. Namuyi shamans read the diagrams while reciting scriptures, passing down the history and culture of their ethnic group. This magical diagram tells ancient myths and the primal beliefs of the Shuwei people. The Namuyi are a small ethnic group living in the high mountains of southwestern China. They are a branch of the ancient Western people and are now integrated into the Tibetan population of southwestern Sichuan. The picture magical scriptures originated in prehistoric times and have survived into the civilized era. The Chinese classic Shan Hai Jing is an ancient magical scripture, which initially presented images before text and later evolved into a combination of text and images. The Namuyi magical scriptures are like a "living fossil" of primitive picture magical scriptures. The "guidance scriptures" in them are not only the classic texts used by Namuyi shamans to guide the souls of the deceased back to their ancestral homeland but also a map for the living to trace their roots. They represent a rare case study of primitive magic religion and the origins of writing. They are also a key to uncovering the history of the Namuyi people and the history of the Southwest Tibetan-Yi Corridor. They provide extremely valuable materials for the study of history, ethnology, religion, and archaeology.