Mamu
01 · Historical Records
Mamu is an educational classic handed down by word of mouth among the Yi people, said to have a history of nearly a thousand years. Its content gradually took fixed form on the basis of long oral transmission and has been continued by bimo priests, degu mediators and others in the Yi areas of settlement in the greater and lesser Liangshan of Sichuan and Yunnan, both orally and in manuscript, and it is regarded as one of the main representatives of Yi folk oral literature.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In the Yi language “ma” means to educate, instruct and persuade, and “mu” means wisdom, good sense, excellence and virtue; Mamu is therefore the classic language that educates people in how to act and how to be, and is also translated as the Classic of Education, the Educational Scripture, the Scripture for Instructing the World and the Poem for Instructing the World. Mamu takes the course of a person's growth through life as its main thread and the different age stages of a person as its chapters, discussing for each age stage what is advocated and what is forbidden, what should be learned and what should not, thus regulating people's standards of conduct; it sets out different requirements and standards for people of different stages, groups, ages and sexes; taking social contradiction, community harmony, dealings with others and doing and learning as its content, it effectively regulates particular social behaviour; and for matters that might arise in society contrary to the will of the ethnic group or bring ethical confusion, it admonishes, corrects and regulates from the standpoint of moral education and folk custom. Mamu is said to be nearly a thousand years old and circulates mainly by word of mouth and in manuscript form in the Yi areas of settlement of the greater and lesser Liangshan; it is an educational classic in the Yi language and one of the main representatives of Yi folk oral literature. It was gradually fixed on the basis of long oral circulation, is the crystallization of the collective wisdom of countless generations of Yi people, and still plays a role in contemporary education. To this day Mamu still plays a positive role in educating the younger generation, regulating people's behaviour and promoting the building of a harmonious community.
The Instruction-in-the-World Poetic Chapters by Age Stage
Mamu takes the different age stages of a person as its chapters and discusses the standards of conduct for each stage.
Mamu Sung Narration (Kezhi)
The traditional form of performing Mamu in sung narration.
Mamu Manuscripts
The manuscript form of circulation that runs alongside oral transmission.
Bimo Rituals and Degu Mediation Occasions
The occasions at which Mamu functions in Yi folk dispute arbitration and community life.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Mamu is an educational scripture handed down orally among the Yi people, widely current and profoundly influential; it circulates mainly in the Yi areas of settlement speaking the northern dialect of the Yi language in the greater and lesser Liangshan of Sichuan and Yunnan, centred on the three northern counties of Xide, Yuexi and Ganluo and the five eastern counties of Zhaojue, Meigu, Jinyang, Leibo and Butuo in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, and radiating to the other counties of the prefecture and the surrounding Yi areas of settlement.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The content of Mamu touches on many fields—history, geography, astronomy, the calendar, customary law, systems and institutions, physiology, psychology, sociology, ethnology, ethics and education—and reflects the Yi people's outlook on life, on values and on the world. Mamu is transmitted mainly within the family and its lineage of transmission is clear. It is the basis of arbitration in Yi folk disputes and a traditional cultural vehicle sustaining the harmony of Yi communities; historically it served to popularize systems and institutions and ethnic customary law and to educate and enlighten the people and to encourage learning and to persuade, and it has relatively high research value in anthropology, ethnology and folklore studies. (Associated bearer recorded in the official archive:) Shama Shiti, male, Yi, born July 1966, a native of Xide county, Sichuan. From 2005 to 2007 he was a core performer with the Sun Fire Art Troupe of Lijiang city, Yunnan, giving Mamu sung narration and bimo feats. From 2008 to the present he has carried out the collecting and sorting of Mamu materials, free apprenticeship and intangible cultural heritage in the schools. He has published six personal cassette albums including The Teachings of Kezhi and The Eulogy at the Funeral. He is a representative bearer of the fifth batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage items, Mamu. He has trained sixty-five outstanding students including Jibuergu, Awuguzhe and Jin Chengxiang.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Sha Mashiti 05-2030
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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