As I mentioned below, I have had the fortune to be staying with a Dongba Shaman Master in a village called Wu Mu, in the mountains of Yunnan, South West China. The Dongba Master had a conference to attend in town, so am briefly back from the mountains and I’m able to post a little about what we have been up to and upload some images. The Dongba are the ‘Wise men’ of the Naxi people, one of the many ethnic minorities in Yunnan. The Dongba religion is an animist religion that sees Nature and Man as half brothers who are prone to fighting. It is the job of the Shaman to mediate the relationship between Man and the ‘Shv’ spirit of Nature. The Dongba scriptures are written on their own handmade paper in the unique, pictographic, Naxi script.
I have been learning how to make this paper, from the harvesting of the mountain plants, the processing of the bark, through to sheet-forming – all this surrounded by pigs, piglets, chickens and the daily life of the village. I have also been drawing the villagers, which has been a novel way to interact given my lack of Chinese language (let alone Naxi). Indeed, the Dongba Masters have also been trying out my drawing materials and drawing with me as I try out their paper.
Soon we will be back up in the mountains for another few days. Hopefully we will be able to witness some other aspects of Naxi culture and Dongba ritual… the master’s mother seemed to indicate that the biggest pig was going to be up for slaughter by pointing to it and drawing her finger across her throat…
Naxi Woman examines my 16th century European clothes
Cleaning the bark. Since I was dressed up in my 16th century kit, He Xiujun decided to put on his Dongba ritual clothes. Indeed, ideally these clothes should be worn when making paper in order to bless the proceedings. Here we are stripping the outer bark from the inner bark of the plant they call the 'Wolf Poison Plant with Fragrant Smell' (it probably has a shorter but duller title in English)
He Xiujun and I drawing together, he is trying out my handmade watercolours on his Dongba paper.
Sheet forming paper in the baking sun as some sensible locals watch in the shade.
some friends
Wu Mu - a village with a view.
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