Changes in the Yao Lu Marriage Stele

Author: Huang Hai / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-06-01
Features: After the Yao elders pass away, they do not undergo cremation, burial, or water or sky burials. Instead, they are placed in coffins and carried to remote cliffs with water in front and mountains behind, where they are stored in rock caves to naturally decompose. Historically, this practice was called "kang bones" or "buried corpses," and it is commonly known as "cliff cave burials." The origins of the Yao cliff cave burials are unknown, but people only know of an ancient legend passed down through generations.
The legend tells of an ancient time when people did not practice cliff cave burials after death but instead engaged in "abdominal burials." That is, when an elder was nearing the end of their life, during their final moments of clarity, their fellow clan members would gather around them, comforting them with soothing words: "Rest assured and go west, for your mother is waiting for you there! In the west, you can eat well, wear well, live well, and play well. It is not like here, where you suffer from cold and hunger! Do not miss your children here, for they have grown up, and even the younger ones are cared for by their relatives. Go in peace, and do not look back!"
As soon as the elder passed away, the young children present would naturally gather in a circle, facing the body. Each would stretch out both hands, linking them together with others, and circle around the corpse, shouting "Ah! Ah!" while stamping their feet rhythmically on the ground, producing a rhythmic, powerful sound. People called this practice "laughing dances and songs to drive away souls and ghosts." It was said that the higher they danced and the louder they shouted, the more joyful and spirited the atmosphere would be, showing greater respect for the deceased. Only then would the deceased be willing to go to the underworld and no longer linger in the mortal world, where they might cause harm to the living.
At that time, there were two Yao siblings, still young, who lived with their elderly and sick mother. Their mother was very loving toward her children, often refusing to eat delicious food for herself and saving it for the two siblings. The siblings were also very considerate, bringing back any edible plants they found outdoors to feed their mother—even a grasshopper they caught would be cooked and offered to her. The three of them relied on each other, caring for one another deeply.
One day, the siblings were grazing cattle on a hill. As soon as they drove the herd to the pasture, they noticed a cow refusing to eat grass, sweating profusely, and frantically running around, appearing extremely distressed. Believing the cow was ill, the siblings brought fresh green grass and sweet water to care for it, but the cow still struggled restlessly, crying out in pain. The siblings, filled with worry, began to cry aloud.
By the time the sun began to set, the cow had exhausted all its strength and finally gave birth to a calf. Only then did the cow calmly lick the calf and fall asleep peacefully. The siblings also broke into laughter.
This incident left a deep impression on the siblings. From then on, they often thought, "If even a cow suffers so much pain when giving birth to a calf, how much more hardship must our mother have endured in raising us? If one day our mother passes away, and people carve her flesh to eat, will we still be worthy of her?" The siblings grew increasingly troubled by this cruelty and resolved to find a way to change such a barbaric custom.
After much thought, they finally came up with an idea. Soon after, their mother passed away. The siblings secretly prepared her body in a coffin and, under the cover of night, carried it to the cliff cave they had chosen earlier for burial. The cave was very secluded, hidden by dense forests above and separated by deep ravines below, making it unknown to others.
As time passed without their mother appearing, the villagers guessed she must have died. They gathered at the siblings' home, demanding to divide her flesh for consumption. At first, the siblings lied, saying their mother was working outside and had not returned. The villagers did not believe them and pressed them relentlessly. With no other choice, the siblings revealed the truth.
The villagers were furious upon hearing that her body was hidden in the mountain cave. They cursed the siblings, saying, "Since ancient times, when people died, their flesh was divided for eating. You did the same to others' mothers—why should we be any different?"
Undeterred, the siblings calmly took down strings of dusty human flesh from the stove and explained, "These were the bodies of others' mothers that we ate in our ignorant days. Now, we return them to you!"
The villagers still refused, even bringing the village elder to mediate. Seeing that the villagers were stubborn as a turtle gripping a weighing scale, the siblings turned to the elder and pleaded, "If you insist on eating flesh, but my mother's body may have already rotted and is no longer edible, why not kill the ox we raise and divide its meat among you? Let the beef replace my mother's flesh!"
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