Mengguan Miao and Buyi Folk Culture

The encouragement of Mengguan Shapo monkey has a long history. It is said that it is to pay homage to Fuxi and Nuwa, who have made special contributions to human inheritance. It originally belonged to a monkey show, and later evolved into a dance, so it was named Monkey Encouragement.

First, the origin of monkey encouragement

The language encouraged by Miao people is "great coma", which originated from the legend of "great flood" by Miao people. According to legend, during the ancient flood, there was a flood all over the world, and the flood flooded to the horizon, and the whole world was Wang Yang. Fuxi's brother and sister hid in a hollow tree with skin at both ends and survived. They drifted in the water for a long time, and the groggy brother and sister were awakened by the sound of "drumming". Both of them pushed aside the skins and came out, only to find that the flood had receded and several monkeys were beating the tight skins and rescued them. Later, Fuxi's brother and sister got married, and human beings were able to reproduce and prosper again. On their deathbed, Fuxi and his wife called their children to their side and told them that wooden drums and monkeys had saved mankind from extinction, and they would celebrate their salvation from generation to generation. Children and grandchildren remember the advice of their ancestors and imitate monkeys to drum and choreograph to show Fuxi and his wife. In fact, in this legend, monkeys and dances are both heroes of human rebirth and objects of sacrifice.

Second, the development process of monkey encouragement

According to the local Miao customs, at first, monkey encouragement can only be used for sacrifice and funeral etiquette, and monkeys can't be encouraged casually on other occasions. With the progress of society and the development of culture, monkey drum dance has gradually evolved into a unique cultural and recreational activity of Miao people, and has become a traditional national dance for Miao people to celebrate harvest, festivals and a better life. Compared with the beginning, the form and content of monkey encouragement have also changed greatly. The number of performers has changed from a drummer and a Lusheng dancer to dozens of people performing on the same stage. Dance has also changed from a single imitation of monkey movements to modern dance movements such as yangko and disco. During the performance, Miao young men and women were the main players. Men wear blue robes and big green sand hats, while women wear flowered clothes, pleated skirts, silver collars, silver bracelets and silver bells. These are dazzling silver. At the climax of the performance, people danced and fluttered, and their voices were crisp and pleasant. The wrinkled skirt stretched proudly like a peacock, and the scene was spectacular.

1in July, 950, the monkey drum dance in Mengguan Shapo went to Beijing to report its performance with the Guizhou Provincial People's Committee, so the monkey drum dance entered an elegant stage. Tickets for the four special performances are all sold out. The capital news media also mobilized a number of reporters to grab the camera and broadcast it in major news media to encourage Meng Guan monkey to become famous. Since 1982, the monkey drum in Mengguan Township has participated in the performances of provincial and municipal folk art festivals and national sports games for many times, and has participated in the performances of foreign guests in provinces, cities and districts for many times, and won many awards from provinces, cities and districts. 1996 Performance Award of Miao Society of Guizhou Province, awarded as "Monkey Encouragement Heritage Base" by Guiyang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government in 2006. 1998 won the performance award of Guizhou National Folk Art Festival, and was listed as "intangible cultural heritage protection" at the provincial level in 2007.

Third, the status quo of monkey encouragement

With the changes of the times and the development of the market economy, when the older generation of monkey-inspired players are enjoying happiness and glory, most of the little girls and boys in the village go out to work to earn money, and there are few successors; And because costumes, drums, Lusheng silver collars and other props are worn out, it is difficult to reproduce the glory of the past.

Fourthly, the development prospect of monkey encouragement.

With the party and government attaching importance to national work and traditional national culture, the traditional monkey-inspired art form of Mengguan Shapo has not only been discovered, but also been endowed with new content and new life. More and more people feel that the inheritance encouraged by monkeys is not only to decorate their own lives, but also to leave national pride for future generations. This is the responsibility and obligation of our generation. The township party committees and governments are constantly striving for the development of monkey motivation. The District People's Religious Affairs Bureau, the Township Party Committee Government and Mengguan Primary School set up a "monkey encouragement and inheritance base", determined to start with children, inject fresh blood, and allocate funds to support it; And organized monkey show many times, so that more and more people can understand and start to make their own contribution to its inheritance.