The Primitive Culture of Maogusi
Maogusi is an ancient ethnic culture, rich and diverse, with features and styles distinct from other cultures. Section 1: The Primitive Culture of Maogusi. Maogusi's primitiveness is determined by both its external forms—its scene patterns—and its inner content.
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Maogusi is an ancient ethnic culture. This ancient ethnic culture possesses richness and diversity, and has characteristics and styles different from other cultures.
Section One: The Primitive Culture of Maogusi
The primitiveness of Maogusi is determined by its external forms of expression and its internal content. The external forms of expression are its scene patterns, attire, and movements; the internal forms of expression are its performance art content and linguistic dialogue.
The Original Human Culture of Maogusi
Original culture is a composite concept. It includes both the source of a culture and the flow of a culture; it is the origin from which culture arises. The original culture of Maogusi contains the following aspects:
First, Maogusi boldly reveals the origin of human culture. The question of human origins is the most headache-inducing problem for anthropologists, sociologists, ethnologists, archaeologists, and philosophers. Now, through archaeological excavation and research, although some threads have been clarified, many difficult questions have not yet been fully explained. This is because many cultural phenomena can neither be replicated nor restored by humans. From the fossilized remains of primitive people unearthed in archaeological excavations, anthropologists can only analyze and study the physiology and other conditions of primitive people from the perspective of physical anthropology. They compare the physiology and other conditions of primitive people with those of modern people, thereby deriving evidence for human evolution. But in archaeological excavations, complete primitive human skeleton fossils are still extremely rare. Apart from the relatively complete skeleton fossil of the Turkana boy from 1.7 million years ago discovered by Richard Leakey in the ancient sandstone deposits of the vast area on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, and the skeleton of a woman named Lucy (from 3 million years ago) discovered in Ethiopia under the leadership of Maurice Taieb and Johanson, there have been no reports of complete primitive human skeleton fossils excavated elsewhere. Although these two skeleton fossils are major discoveries in the history of anthropology, these skeleton fossils cannot intuitively transmit information about humanity's initial culture. Maogusi, however, by virtue of its own unique cultural advantage, through figurative historical restoration, enables people to gain a figurative understanding of primitive human culture.
Second, Maogusi's costumes and props are a restoration of life in humanity's savage age. According to the research of the social evolution school of anthropology, the earliest humans belonged to savages (SAVACFB). The characteristic of savages at that time was that food depended on nature; the groups were very small, and members of these groups struggled ceaselessly for survival throughout their lives. Undoubtedly, humans at that time still had long hair covering their bodies, and people's private parts were at most covered with a leaf. Modern Maogusi, however, is covered entirely in grass, and in particular Maogusi must also be equipped with a 'rude stick' (that is, the male organ), completely presenting the image of a wild primitive person. This can be said to restore humanity's earliest history with remarkable vividness. In addition, as mentioned earlier, most of the movements in Maogusi performances are half-hooked and half-squatting, walking like apes, with rough movements and vulgar behavior, vividly revealing the course of humanity's evolution from apes. This performance art of Maogusi preserves early human history and culture, which is a miracle in the history of human culture.
As a culture, Maogusi contains many phenomena of cultural genesis. Culture is created by humans and is a luxury unique to humans. Every culture has its own developmental process and laws.
Maogusi's 'coarseness' and 'wildness' constitute the core of Maogusi's cultural genesis. The open display of the male organ (that is, the 'rude stick' worn when performing Maogusi) not only has the meaning of 'restoring' the initial condition of humanity as mentioned earlier, but more importantly has significance for cultural genesis. People in civilized times often regard the genitalia as very mysterious, but Maogusi is different: it boldly exposes the true appearance of the male organ in public, for people to appreciate and savor. Tearing out and showing people the most valuable thing of a man does not make men lose face; on the contrary, it gives rise to the cultural phenomenon of the genitalia. In particular, the male organ in Maogusi has multiple functions, that is, the Tujia ancestors extended and multiplied the functions of the male organ. For example, striking dew, hunting, resisting enemies, and so on. From this it can be seen that human labor tools were also derived from the inspiration of the male organ. Among some ethnic groups in China and other parts of the world, there are also folk customs related to genitalia, but most are related to human reproduction and are highly secretive. Maogusi's male organ culture, however, embodies the multiple functions and aesthetic value of the human body itself, providing new vision and new horizons for the study of human cultural genesis.
The Primitive Language of Maogusi
When performing Maogusi, there are also some simple dialogues. Sometimes Maogusi also inserts remarks at will. But Maogusi's language can be summed up in two words: 'vulgar and crude,' and sometimes two more words must be added after 'vulgar and crude': 'unbearable.' For example, in the opening dialogue of Maogusi (the old Maogusi brings the young Maogusi on stage), there is a set of dialogue like this:
Master of the altar: Bopuka, so many of you have come, do you have a father?
All Maogusi: (rushing to answer) I am the father!! I am the father!!
Old Maogusi: (cursing all Maogusi) Sons of bitches, you bastards! I am your father!
From this passage we can see a miniature of marriage in primitive society, which is very consistent with the era of 'the nine Li disrupting virtue' recorded in the Guoyu: Chu Yu. The marital condition of the Maogusi era was the era of group marriage. In the era of group marriage, there was no order between elders and juniors; people knew only their mother and not their father, and people were basically bastards as Old Maogusi said. Seniority was absolutely not determined by age; the young could joke with the old, and there was no feeling of respect for the elderly. The old could also say some humorous things to the young. From a modern point of view, Old Maogusi was 'old but not acting like an elder,' and 'for an old person to claim to be the father of young people is worthless.' But at that time, this was the family model and marriage model of the Maogusi era. This family model and marriage model are the cornerstone of modern family and marriage. Modern human family and marriage developed from such primitive family and marital conditions. To modern people, the dialogue between Old Maogusi and the other Maogusi is somewhat difficult to understand. Ordinary people would denounce it as a manifestation of incest and suspect it of being absurd and bizarre. But viewed from a historical perspective, this condition was entirely reasonable in the Maogusi era and had nothing improper about it.
In addition to the mutual banter between the old Maogusi and the young Maogusi, the dialogue in the mutual flirtation between male Maogusi and female Maogusi is also very vulgar, and some is even unbearable to hear. For example, terms for male and female genitalia were constantly spoken aloud. Outsiders find this very hard to understand, and from the current point of view it is obscene language. But in the Maogusi era, this was the normal life of the Maogusi people; this was the common language of the Maogusi era!
The vulgarity of Maogusi's language also has significance for cultural genesis. Language is a kind of symbol of human communication and a product of human society developing to a certain period. A national language is the calling card of that nation; it is the history of that nation. It can be said that language is a living fossil of human history and a living fossil of a nation's history and culture.
In Maogusi performances there are a large number of dialogues in the Tujia language, and in these dialogues, every three sentences are inseparable from vulgarity. Cursing uses vulgar words, hunting uses vulgar words, and flirting also uses vulgar words. Unexpectedly, the cultural connotations of these vulgar expressions are very profound. These vulgar words are the exposure of primitive human life and the reproduction of primitive life. Modern people's language evolved from the vulgar language of primitive society.
The Performance Scenes and Performance Time of Maogusi
The performance scenes of Maogusi are a fusion of a specific time and a specific environment.
In the past, the time for Maogusi performances could not be chosen at will; it was not like now, when it can be performed anytime and anywhere. Some places now have moved Maogusi onto the stage. In order to integrate Maogusi with contemporary culture, Maogusi has been completely modernized and turned into a modern dance. In attire and movements, some fundamental modifications have been made for the needs of the audience and art, whereas the true time for Maogusi performances was the first lunar month after the Tujia people finished celebrating the New Year. Just as a Zhuzhici poem describes:
Mountains fold like embroidered screens, and the screens are richly embroidered; at the shoal's head, stone drums sound in harmony
In the Tuwang Temple people are like a sea; whenever the New Year comes, the Hand-waving Song is sung
As mentioned earlier, the Tujia Hand-waving Dance and Maogusi are performed together, so the time of hand-waving after the New Year is also the time for performing Maogusi.
The performance venues of Maogusi all had strict regulations; they could only be held inside the spirit hall. The spirit hall has many alternative names; some call it the Tuwang Temple, and some call it the Eight Tribes Kings Temple. In Tujia-speaking areas it is called 'Yuecuo.' In the Tujia language, 'yue' means god, and 'cuo' means house, so 'Yuecuo' means 'god house.' In some places, in the Tujia language it is called 'Shebaku' and 'Shebatang,' which in Chinese means 'the place for hand-waving.' In the spirit hall, divine images were enshrined, some of them the Eight Tribes Kings. After the Battle of Xizhou in the fifth year of Tianfu of the Later Jin (940 AD), the Peng clan entered and ruled Xiangxi. Peng Shichou became the prefect of Xizhou and carried out cruel rule over the Xiangxi region, and he had many privileges, requiring his subjects to call him Lord Jue. Some of the original indigenous Tujia ancestors were also forced to change their surnames to Peng, Tian (Tian was Tian Haohan, a great general of Peng Shichou), and Xiang (Xiang was Xiang Laoguanren, the military adviser of Peng Shichou). Therefore, among the Tujia people in northwestern Hunan, there are many with the surnames Peng, Tian, and Xiang, and this is the reason. From then on, many places changed from enshrining the Eight Tribes Kings to enshrining Lord Peng, Tian Haohan, and Xiang Laoguanren. Before performing Maogusi, the scene had to be arranged and decorated. First, the inside and outside of the spirit hall had to be carefully swept, and the enshrined divine images also had to be cleaned so that the divine images showed their divine majesty. In addition, in the flat ground in front of the spirit hall, fluttering dragon-and-phoenix flags had to be erected.
After the spirit hall and the venue were arranged, a Tima or a person of high prestige and virtue had to lead the masses to worship the gods. The Tima poured wine while singing, and also bowed and kowtowed. What the Tima sang were words of worship to the gods (already recorded earlier). Among them, one person was specially responsible for burning incense and paper, and everyone else followed in bowing and kowtowing. Only after these necessary rituals were completed could the hand-waving begin, and after the hand-waving was finished, Maogusi was performed.
These scenes of Maogusi are all concrete reflections of production and life in the early period of human society, so it is entirely appropriate to call them primitive.
The Attire of Maogusi
The primitiveness of Maogusi is also manifested in its attire and performance movements. Maogusi's attire can be divided into several types.
Thatch-and-leaves type: This is the most primitive and ancient attire of Maogusi. The main materials of the attire are thatch and leaves; in addition, there are palm fibers and some other herbaceous plants. Maogusi with this attire is found in Pojiao Township, Miao'ertan Town, Longtou Town, Changtan Township, Tasha Township, Yanchong Township, Ganxi Township, Xichehe Town, Mengxi Township, Luota Township, and other places in Longshan County. The most typical form is first weaving thatch into five large pieces with rope: two pieces each one meter square, one tied around the neck to cover the upper body, and one tied around the waist to cover the lower body; two pieces half a meter square, tied respectively to the two hands; some use palm fibers to bind the feet, or wrap a piece of palm fiber around the abdomen. On the head they wear a conical straw hat made of loquat leaves or thatch. This type of attire is very primitive and fully embodies the clothing style of early people.
Rice-straw-and-rope type: Later, after rice-growing culture appeared in Tujia areas, for convenience the Tujia people used rice straw to make Maogusi attire. They also used some straw ropes to bind the straw clothing. Using rice straw to make Maogusi attire had several major advantages: first, materials were easy to obtain; there was no need to go up the mountain specifically to cut thatch, since there was ready-made rice straw at home, available whenever needed. Another was that rice straw was softer than thatch, and more comfortable to wear on the body than thatch. Maogusi with this attire is found in Eba Village and Hengzan Village of Jiashi Township in Longshan; Posong Village, Miezei Village, and Wuguan Village of Neixi Township; Shuangfeng Village and Shacuo Village of Heping Township in Yongshun County, and Xitie Village of Duishan Township, etc. This attire is made by weaving rice straw into two large pieces, one wrapped from the neck to block the upper body, and one wrapped around the waist to block the lower body. On the head, three straw braids were tied, rising high. These three braids reflect the early period when there were no scissors and no razors, so long hair was tied into braids to make work easier. In addition, another feature of this attire is that Maogusi was also equipped with a 'rude stick' about two chi long (that is, the male organ; the main functions of the male organ decoration were striking dew, showing virility, and displaying the male). The front end also had to be wrapped in red cloth to achieve a realistic effect.
Comprehensive type: The so-called comprehensive type means that Maogusi's attire had both thatch and leaves, and also rice straw. In this attire, below the waist was all rice straw, above the waist was all tree bark or leaves, and on the head most wore hats made of loquat leaves or bamboo shoot shells. Maogusi with this attire is found in Madaiping Village and Xiaobai Village of Duanlong Township in Guzhang County; Echie Village and Hengzhang Village of Purong Township in Baojing County; Xianren Village of Xianren Township in Baojing; Yezan Village of Datuo Township in Baojing; Yanlieba Village of Neixipeng Township in Longshan; Yekuzan Village, Baixing Village, and Ri'aguzhu Village of Dianfang Township; Xindi Village of Tasha Township; Suzhu Village and Baoge Village of Pojiao Township; and Bona Village of Ganxi Township, etc. The attire of Maogusi in this type is relatively complex. The lower body is woven from rice straw, about 1.5 meters square, and can firmly wrap the lower body. The upper body uses leaves or tree bark to make an upper garment, so that the person dressed as Maogusi cannot reveal the slightest clue.
The Primitive Movements of Maogusi
Because Maogusi is a reproduction and re-presentation of the social life of early human ancestors by the Tujia people, its performance must also approximate the infancy of humankind as closely as possible. When performing Maogusi, the movements are mostly imitations of ape-men. The primitive movements of Maogusi emphasize an "ape" nature. During the performance, the performers must keep their knees slightly bent, their buttocks lowered, and their whole bodies constantly shaking, so that the leaves and thatch draped over their bodies rustle with a "shuai shuai" sound. When walking, they take small shuffling steps forward and backward, swaying left and right, repeatedly shaking their heads and shoulders—exactly the same as the movements of monkeys people see in zoos. In particular, Maogusi has a movement called "Kelili keisi" (in Chinese, "shaking off dog fleas"), in which the performer must shake and sway quickly, shaking and swaying faster and faster. When performing other farming, fishing, and hunting movements, Maogusi also maintains the basic movements of bent knees, lowered buttocks, and shaking and swaying, imitating apes and monkeys with remarkable fidelity. During the Maogusi performance, the Maogusi performers also laugh and tussle with one another, with rough and unrestrained movements completely contrary to the normal movements of modern people. Such performance art does not distort the human image; on the contrary, it is a true portrayal and restoration of the early period when human ancestors first walked upright on two legs.
The Characters of Maogusi
When performing Maogusi, there are many characters, as follows:
The Tuwang, called in some places the Zhangtan Master. He is a character who does not perform movements. Regardless of the title, he is a relatively important figure. He is responsible for dialogue with the Old Maogusi who appears on stage, and sometimes gives orders to the Maogusi. This character does not wear makeup; he is dressed in modern clothing.
Bapuka, called in some places Popachi. Both Bapuka and Popachi are Tujia-language terms for grandfather (elderly male). This elderly male Maogusi appears relatively often throughout the Maogusi performance; he is responsible for leading the assembled Maogusi in diplomatic affairs, hunting, doing spring farming, and other work.
Panichi, a character paired with Bapuka. Panichi mainly follows Bapuka, roughly equivalent to what is now called an assistant, but in the actual performance does not appear as a protagonist.
The assembled Maogusi—these are the standard characters and also the main characters in the Maogusi performance. They are humorous and witty, laughing and scolding, bringing out the best in each other. Among the assembled Maogusi there are also some female Maogusi; because their attire is all the same, the audience cannot tell who is a male Maogusi and who is a female Maogusi. The movements of these female Maogusi are the same as those of the male Maogusi, generally no different from the male Maogusi; only in the Maogusi flirtation scenes can one tell who is a female Maogusi.
Shezuo, the Tujia herbal doctor among the Maogusi. This person is strangely dressed, with humorous movements, and also has some traces of modern people. In particular, he wears a pair of glasses made of bamboo strips, which departs from the aura of primitive humans.
Guluzi, the thief among the Maogusi. His appearance is shrunken, his movements nimble, and he also has traces of modern people.