CENSUS, a general catalogue and index of Dongba manuscripts

Manuscripts belonging to Dongba pictographic tradition could be considered as religious scriptures, dedicated to ceremonies belonging to Naxi Dongba tradition.

One of the possible way to present manuscripts thus could consist in sorting and exposing them as sets of scriptures belonging to certain ceremony, as this resource is thought and implemented.

Study of Dongba tradition and manuscripts evinced that they are however dedicated to certain ritual, which mostly correspond to the title of the manuscript itself, and each ritual could be part of wider main ceremony. The structure emerging is thus a nested tree which could be easy implemented in sets of menù and sub-menù.

Once the user had chosen the main ceremony and the sub-ceremony, manuscripts will be extracted from CENSUS DATABASE (php function lounched over MySQL database).

Availability of coverpage, data, metadata and complete argumentation of manuscripts depends closely to availability of Institution Collection where the original collection is preserved.

Below a complete tree-list of Dongba Tradition Ceremonial Corpus: active tags are highlited.

Xiulong - Stefano Zamblera, 24/12/2009 h. 22:07

Naxi - Dongba Ceremonial Corpus

  1. Nature worship (earliest primitive ceremonies)
    1. 2Muan 1bpo - Sacrifice to Heaven
    2. 2Muan 2nder 3ssu - Confession of sins to Heaven
    3. 2Gyi 3Bbue 2kho 1bpo - sacrifice before Gyi and Bbue
    4. 1Muan 2mbu 2k'o 1bpo
    5. 2Ngaw 1bpo - Sacrifice to the spirits of victory
  2. Ceremonies for prosperity of family and herds
    1. 3Non 1bbu - the worship of the Non
    2. 3Non 1ddu 1bbu - the worship ot the 3Non, protectors of domestic animals
    3. 2Ngaw 2ba - the worship of the 16 Spirits of Succor
    4. 2Dzu 2Wua bpo - the 2Dzu 2Wua ceremony
    5. 1Dsaw 1bpo
    6. 1Dto 1bpo 1Wu 1bpo - worshipping the spirits 1Dto and 1Wu (responsable for wealth, offspring, etc...
    7. 2Wua 3bpa 3ts'u - erect the 2Wua 3bpa
    8. 1O 2ma 1ha 1bpo - worhipping the God of grain (wealth)
    9. 1Gk'u 1ts'u 1bpo - propitiating the demons of the Stars
  3. Propitiation of Mountain and Tutelary spirits
    1. 3Gkaw 2ds 3shu - propitiate the 3Gkaw 2ds
    2. 2Ssan 2ddo 3shu - worship of 2Ssan 2ddo (Sa-tham)
    3. 3Ffu 2dtv 3shu
    4. 2Dso 3shu - worship of the god of hearth
  4. Prevention of Evil arising from the Sky and Land
    1. 3Dtv 1bpo - preventing demons descending from the sky
    2. 1Nsher 1bpo
    3. 2muan 2k'u 3dxi 1bpo - closing the gate of the sky
    4. 2Llu 22k'u 3dter 1bpo - closing the gate of the ground (equivalent to tibetan ceremony of closing the doors to the demons of sky and earth)
    5. 2T'u 2lv 1lv 1bpo
  5. Marriage ceremony
    1. 3Ssu 3dsu - to meet the Life God
    2. 3Ssu 2mi 2gku - recording of the renowed 3Ssu
  6. Propitiation of Nagas 1Ssu, serpent spirits
    1. Ssu ndo bpo - evicting the Naga demons 2Ssu 1ndo
    2. Ssu gv - Naga ceremony
    3. 2Ssu ddu 1gv - great Naga ceremony
    4. 1D'a 1Lv 2ds - restricting the Dragon to his residence
    5. 1Khu 3ma - rain wanted
    6. 1Zhi 1ts'u 3bpu - escorting the Snake demon
    7. 1Khu 3dtv - stopping of [eccesive] rain
  7. Purification
    1. 3Ch'ou 1gv - purifying [a place] of 3Ch'ou
    2. 3Ch'ou 1na 1gv - purifying [a place] of Ch'ou
    3. 3Ch'ou 3shu - smoke out impurities
    4. 3Ch'ou 2ch'er - impurities wash away
  8. Funerary ceremonies
    1. 1Shi 2lo 2gkv 2lu 2dze - shave the head of Dongba Shilo (gShen Rabs)
    2. 3Shi 2lo 3mi 2gkan - change the name of Shilo
    3. 2Mb'a 2mi 1la 1dta - placing of the lamp on the hand of deceased
    4. Shi lo nv - the funeral ceremony of Shilo (funeral for Dongba)
    5. Zhi ma - instruct [the dead which] road to travel
    6. [3Ds'i 1zaw] 2Gyi 2mun 3nv - funeral ceremony for the whife of Shilo (funeral for the whife of a Dongba)
    7. 1Szi sher 1Ddu 3nv - long life funeral ceremony (for a man above 60)
    8. 2Ts'u 3chw'ua 2gyi 2mun 3nv - funeral for 2Ts'u 3chw'ua 2gyi 2mun (for a women above 60)
    9. 2Ngaw 3nv - funerl for a victorious man
    10. 3D'a 3nv - funeral for a courageous man
    11. 2Mbbue 1d'a 3nv - funeral for a courageus woman
    12. 2Khi 3nv - funerl performed after 3 years of the death of a person
    13. 2Mi 1lv 1dzu 3nv - funeral performed for a man and his whife
    14. 2Ts'u 3nv 2mber 1gyi - generic funeral ceremony
    15. 1Dter 3nv - funeral for a person died an accidental death
    16. 1Yu 1dzu 3nv - funerl for lovers who committed suicide
    17. 2K'o 3nv - funeral of the dog [of 2Muan 3llu 1ddu 2ndzi]
    18. 3Lo 3nv - descending spirit of the deceased over the 3Lo rope bridge across the river
    19. 2Llu 2k'o 1o 3sher - call the soul of a deceased from a grave after having been exhumed (fear that the soul may have remained in the grave)
  9. Inviting ancestors
    1. 2Ssu 2bbu 1yu 1bpo - worshipping ancestors (autumnal)
    2. 2T'a 1bpo - worshipping ancestors (the 4th moon)
    3. 2Ts'u 1bpo - worshipping ancestors (25th day of the 8th moon)
    4. 2Dto 1bpa 3shu - worshipping ancestors (4th moon, performed not by Naxi)
    5. 2Dto 1bpa 2dsu - worshipping ancestors (in the 6th moon, perfomed not by Naxi)
  10. Prolongation of life
    1. 2Szi 3ch'ung 1bpo - add to long life (tibetan Tshe gzungs)
  11. Books of divination
    1. 3Dso 2la
  12. Propitiation and eviction of demons
    1. 3Ts'u 2ssi [3ts'u 1yu] 2gyi 3nyi 3p'i
    2. 2T'o 2lo 1ts'u 3t'u - drive out the 2T'o 2lo demons
    3. 3Ch'ou 1ts'u 3t'u - drive out the demons of impurity
    4. 3Ch'ou 1ts'u 3bpu - escort the demons of impurity
    5. 1Ts'u 3t'u - drive out the demons
    6. 3Non 1ts'u 3t'u - drive out the 3Non demons
    7. 1Gyi 2Mun 1Ghugh 1bpo - propitiation the Water Demons 2Mun and Ghugh
    8. 1Mbbue 1bpo - propitiation of the demons of sterility
    9. 1Dter 1ts'u 3t'u - drive out the 1Dter demons
    10. 2Shi 2k'u 3dter 1bpo - closing the gate of the dead
    11. 1Ts'u 1dshi - obstruct the demons
    12. 3T'i 2lua 1ts'u - drive out the 3T'i 2lua demons
    13. 1Ndzi 1ts'u 3Llu 1ts'u 3bpu - excort the flying demons and the demons of the hunt 3Llu 1ts'u
    14. 1Zher 1ts'u 2La 1ts'u 3bpu - excort the leopard and tiger demons
    15. 2K'o 2ngv 1ts'u 3t'u - drive out the 2K'o 2ngv demons
    16. 3Gkyi 1bpo - propitiate the demons of leprosy
    17. 2Nder 1ts'u 3t'u - drive out the demons who cause epidemics in domestic animals
    18. 3K'v 1na 1ts'u 1dshi
    19. 1Na 3ffu 1bpo
    20. 2Mi 2wua 1ts'u 1na 1bpo
    21. 3Ch'ou 3lv 1bpo
    22. 2Mi 1szer 1bpo - ceremony for the suppression of the fire demons
    23. 2Ba 2lv 1yu 1ts'u 3ndu - to chase the demons with the flaming hot rocks of the 2Ba 1d'a
    24. 2O 1p'er, 2O 1na, 2O 1ndz'a 1bpo - propitiate the white (1p'er), black (1na), spotted (1ndz'a) demons of quarrel
    25. 2Ha 3la - killing of the soul
    26. 3Gkyi 2gkv 1bpo
    27. 3Dto 1p'er 3k'o
    28. 3Dto 1na 3k'o
    29. 3Dto 1ndz'a 3k'o
    30. 2Har 2zo 1ba
    31. 2Zo 3mi 1bpo
  13. 2Har 2la 1llu 3k'o - propitiate soul of suicides or people died an unnatural death
    1. 3K'wuo 2khyu 2la 1llu 3k'o - general 2Har 2la 1llu ceremony
    2. 1Dter 2la 1llu 3k'o - died by violence
    3. Ts'u la llu k'o - died by hanging
    4. 1Yu 3la 1llu 3k'o - suicides
    5. 2Shi 2k'u 3dter 2la 1llu 3k'o - close the gate of the dead (died by violence, accidental deats)
    6. 3Dto 2la 1llu 3k'o - combination of 2Dto 1na 3k'o and 2Har 2la 1llu 3k'o
    7. 3Ch'ou 2la 1llu 3k'o - suicides after illicit sexual intercourse
    8. 3K'o 3k'o 1dto 2ngyu 2la 1llu 3k'o
    9. 2Mun 2la 1llu 3k'o - suicide by drowning
    10. 1Mbbue 2la 1llu 3k'o - suicide of the last member of a family (male line only)
    11. 2Nder 2la 1llu 3k'o
    12. 2Nv 2la 1llu 3k'o
    13. 1Dter 2o 2mbo 2la 1llu 3k'o
    14. 2K'o 2ch'i 2la 1llu 3k'o - using a dog for suppressing the demon of suicide
    15. 1Wu 2la 1llu 3k'o - for slave who committed suicide
    16. 1Dta 3gku 2gyi 3bpu - using a monkey as a substitute
  14. Elimination of accumulated sins
    1. 2Mi 1k'o 1bpo
    2. 2Mi 1k'o 2wua 1po
    3. 2T'i 3ts'an [2dto 2ma] 3p'i
  15. Ceremonies performed by 2Llu 1bu or 2Ssan 1nyi
    1. 2Dsu 2bbu
    2. 1Ba 2bbu 1dtu
    3. 2Ba 2lv 1dtu
    4. 1Ts'u 3ndu - driving out the demons (without the assistance of the Dongba)
    5. 2Ya 1'an 2mi 1ho 3la - chasing out the demons by put hand into flaming pot
    6. 1Ndv 1yu 1ndv 3bpu - free a bewitched person who's been poisoned by mesmerism
    7. 2Ts'o 3bpu