Oral narrative and village traditions

Author: Naqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: This book is the first case study of village (community) folk narrative research in the field of Mongolian folk narrative studies to date, and also the first case study of village (community) folk customs research in the entire field of Mongolian folk customs. It will expand the academic horizons of Mongolian folk literature and folk customs research, focusing on the microscopic and vivid folk customs of village life, allowing for a clearer observation of the cultural dynamics of Mongolian folk narratives and folk customs. At the same time, it will provide a reference model for related research based on empirical research and theoretical reflection. This book is a study of oral narrative and village tradition. Its basic approach is to explain the cultural process, connotation, and function of oral narrative within village traditions, while using oral narrative to interpret the structure, meaning, and inheritance of village traditions. The two are interdependent, revealing their three-dimensional interactive processes and showcasing their rich cultural dimensions. In terms of practical implementation, the focus is on a Mongolian village named "Juzachen Village," located in the central region of Inner Mongolia, with a 300-year history and a background of multi-ethnic integration. The book uses oral narratives such as legends and rumors based on the local customs and environment of the village and its surrounding areas as a starting point to delve into the context of the generation and dissemination of oral narratives. By combining the village's history and belief culture, it conducts an in-depth case analysis, revealing a multi-layered and diverse world of village belief and folk customs.
The Juzachen Village selected in this book is located in Qagan Mool Sumu (township) of Barin Right Banner in Inner Mongolia. The ancestors of the village were a branch of the "Yanzhi Manchu" people who accompanied the Princess of Noble Wisdom during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty to Barin Right Banner. They have a history of 300 years to this day. They are the "tomb attendants" of the "Princess of Noble Wisdom Tomb," responsible for the first offering to the princess and lighting the eternal lamps. Over the long years, the princess transformed from a historical figure into a local guardian deity, and the belief in the princess developed into the central belief of the village. The formation of the princess belief was shaped by the local customs and environment of the village and its surrounding areas, with legends and rumors of the princess forming the princess deity. Additionally, the village has 11 "ao bao" (sacred sites), 2 sacred trees, and 1 nine-god temple, each with its own rituals. Every household also performs rituals for ancestral spirits, the fire god, and the sky god. Together with the princess rituals, they form a dense network of belief and folk customs in the village. This dense network of belief and folk customs also exhibits a hierarchical feature, evident in both the rituals and the pantheon of deities, showing a clear gradation.