Tajik Eagle Dance
01 · Historical Records
The Tajik regard the eagle as the strong and as the hero. Folk songs and legends about the eagle are widespread among them, and even the origin of their dance is linked to the habits and movements of the eagle, so that the "eagle dance" came into being.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
An unyielding will and a dauntless national spirit that presses forward regardless of obstacles gradually shaped the distinctive aesthetic pursuit of the Tajik people. The formation of the distinctive character of Tajik dance is inseparable from its accompanying instruments and their specific playing techniques. The eagle flute, the hand drum, the rabab (rewap), the bulangzhi kum and the Tajik-style ajiq are all folk instruments used widely by the Tajik. Among them the eagle flute is the most typical instrument of the Tajik. Its blowing techniques are difficult and intricate, but its tones are distinctive and beautiful. The hand drum is the principal accompanying instrument of Tajik dance; when it is played, two women strike a single drum and produce many kinds of drumbeats, a practice rarely seen among other peoples. The drumbeats have fixed patterns and names, such as "Alukatuoman", and each set can produce complex and varied artistic effects. In the great horse races and sheep-lifting games, several eagle flutes play "Diaoyangqu" while a number of women simultaneously beat many hand drums sounding "Wala Wala Heke", filling riders and horses with excitement. The main forms of the eagle dance include "Qiafuzizi", "Mailisi" and "Lapoyi". "Qiafuzizi" means "fast and skilled" in Tajik; it denotes both a rhythm and a form of dance performed impromptu and competitively, and it represents the distinctive style of Tajik dance. It is performed mainly as a duet of two men; the form is lively, and the dancers may advance and retreat freely. Two or three pairs may dance together, and men and women may also dance together. In performance one man generally invites another man to dance with him. The two slowly extend their arms and advance along the edge of the ground like a pair of eagles circling and soaring; then the tempo quickens, and the two chase and play with each other, at times pressing shoulder to back and glancing sideways at one another, walking quickly, then suddenly separating and leaping up, like eagles rising and falcons dropping, twisting and spinning from low to high, soaring straight upwards, until the dance ends in a competitive whirl. These dynamic expressions are evidently the legacy and elevation of the techniques of the Western Regions music and dance known as the "Hu Xuan dance" and the "Hu Teng dance". "Mailisi" means "a specific beat". It is a recreational dance accompanied mainly by folk instruments or by sung folk songs, and is also often used to perform traditional narrative folk songs. It is characterized by continuous spinning on the spot and is especially popular with women. "Lapoyi" is a specific dance form performed within the family with only one rewap for accompaniment, sometimes also held outdoors. Its accompaniment uses melodies of Qiafuzizi, and the accompanist can dance while playing; the dance movements are free and lively. A highly skilled player can place the rewap on the shoulder and dance while playing it, which may be a legacy of the customs of music and dance in the Western Regions.
Qiapusuzi
Meaning fast and skilful, it names both a rhythm and an improvised, competitive duet: two men circling like eagles, then chasing and spinning to a close.
Mailisi
Meaning a particular metre, it is a social dance with instrumental or sung accompaniment and constant spinning in place, favoured by women.
Lapoyi
A household form accompanied by a single rawap, sometimes outdoors, in which a skilled player may shoulder the instrument and dance as he plays.
The eagle flute and paired hand drums
The eagle-bone flute is the signature instrument, and unusually two women beat a single hand drum between them to produce the varied rhythms.
Named drum patterns
The hand-drum patterns have fixed names such as Alukatuoman; at horse races and buzkashi many women beat many drums at once to the Walawalahek rhythm.
Kurban Tohtash
Born in 1931 in Tashkurgan, he inherited his father's eagle dance and eagle-flute playing and can dance solo, in pairs, or while singing.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Tajik are one of the ancient peoples of China. They are concentrated mainly in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County in Xinjiang, while the remainder are distributed in counties to the east of that county such as Shache, Yecheng and Zepu.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The eagle dance is a traditional dance form of highly distinctive character among Chinese folk dances, and it has high artistic value. As modernization accelerates, these precious folk arts are gradually losing the soil in which they live, face difficulties, and urgently require protection and rescue. Kurban Tohetashi (official archival record of the associated inheritor): Male, of Tajik ethnicity, born in 1931, a native of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang. Kurban Tohetashi inherited from his father the Tajik eagle dance and the skill of playing the eagle flute, and has fully mastered the eagle dance and other Tajik folk dances. He is recognized among the Tajik as an outstanding folk song-and-dance artist. The eagle dance he performs has graceful movements; he can dance solo as well as in duet with others, and can sing while dancing, expressing the ancient style of the eagle dance. He is also skilled at playing the eagle flute and beating the hand drum. Representative inheritor of the Tajik eagle dance, a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the second national-level batch. He actively trains the younger generation of Tajik eagle dance performers; at present he has more than ten apprentices studying the eagle dance.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Kuerban Tuohetashen 02-0401
- Mairemuhan Adili 02-0402
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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