Dongba
Encyclopedia
The term Dongba refers to the religious priests, the culture
, and script
of the Nakhi
people, who are found in southwestern China
.
Religious rituals are also conducted by the priests to propitiate the spirits, as they were believed to be living in every part of the natural world.
The core of the Dongba religion is based on the belief that both man and nature are two half-brothers born of two mothers and the same father. This creates revenge from heaven, which befalls upon humans who use up too much natural resources.
Prior to Bön influence, it is suggested that the original priests were the female Llü-bu. At that time, statues or religious images could be widely seen everywhere.
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, and script
Writing system
A writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...
of the Nakhi
Nakhi
The Nakhi are an ethnic group inhabiting the foothills of the Himalayas in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, as well as the southwestern part of Sichuan Province in China....
people, who are found in southwestern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Religion
The Dongba, also known as wise men, are believed to be the priests of the Bön religion. They play a major role in the Naxi culture, and preach harmony between man and nature. Their costumes show strong Tibetan influence, and pictures of Bön gods can be seen on their headgear. Tibetan prayer flags and Taoist offerings can be seen in their rituals.Religious rituals are also conducted by the priests to propitiate the spirits, as they were believed to be living in every part of the natural world.
The core of the Dongba religion is based on the belief that both man and nature are two half-brothers born of two mothers and the same father. This creates revenge from heaven, which befalls upon humans who use up too much natural resources.
Prior to Bön influence, it is suggested that the original priests were the female Llü-bu. At that time, statues or religious images could be widely seen everywhere.
External links
- Gallery of Dongba
- Dongba culture related art
- A series of Dongba Culture artworks by Dongba ethnic artist Cun Liusan.
- Edongba Input Dongba hieroglyphs and Geba symbols.