Path to Roots: Discovery of a Mysterious Witch Map

Author: Song Zhaolin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: This book introduces an ancient and mysterious magical diagram called Namuyi, which is somewhat like a picture book. Namuyi shamans read the diagrams while chanting, passing down the history and culture of their ethnic group. This magical diagram tells of ancient myths and the primal beliefs of the Shuwei. The Namuyi are a small ethnic group living in the high mountains of southwestern China. They are a branch of the ancient Western Fanyan people and are now integrated into the Tibetan population of southwestern Sichuan. The picture magical diagram originated in prehistoric times and has survived into the civilized era. The Chinese classic Shan Hai Jing is an ancient magical diagram, which initially presented pictures followed by text and later evolved into a combination of text and pictures. The Namuyi magical diagram is a "living fossil" of the original picture magical diagram. The "guidance scripture" in it is not only a classic 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. It is a rare case study for researching primal magic religion and the origins of writing. It is also a key to uncovering the history of the Namuyi and the historical corridor of Tibetan and Yi people in southwestern China. It provides extremely valuable materials for the study of history, ethnology, religion, and archaeology.