The Cultural Environment of Maogusi's Origin (Part 5)
The Classic of Mountains and Seas records: 'East of Kaiming are Wu Peng, Wu Di, Wu Yang, Wu Lü, Wu Fan, and Wu Xiang, who hold the corpse of Yayu, all bearing the elixir of immortality to keep it from decay.' Guo Pu says these six wu were 'all divine physicians'; in ancient times wu were physicians, as Guangya states plainly: 'the physician is the wu.' Besides these six, there are records of ten wu.
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas · Classic of the Western Regions Within the Seas says:
"East of Kaiming, there are Wu Peng, Wu Di, Wu Yang, Wu Lü, Wu Fan, and Wu Xiang, who flank the corpse of Huyu, all holding the medicine of immortality to keep it at bay."
Guo Pu said these six wu "are all divine physicians." In ancient times, wu was physician, and the Guangya · Shigu explicitly states, "Physician, wu." Besides these six wu, there are also records of ten wu. For example, the Classic of Mountains and Seas · Classic of the Great Wilderness West:
"There is Ling Mountain, where Wu Xian, Wu Ji, Wu Fen, Wu Peng, Wu Gu, Wu Zhen, Wu Li, Wu Di, Wu Xie, and Wu Luo—ten wu—ascend and descend, and where the hundred medicines are."
Among them, Wu Xian and Wu Peng also appear in other historical records; they were famous Shang wu. Sima Qian said: "Yi Zhi spoke in praise of Wu Xian; Wu Xian governed the royal house with success," and said, "Emperor Zu Ji was established, Yin revived, and Wu Xian held office." "Peng and Xian were virtuous grandees of Yin." "Wu Xian was an ancient divine physician, living in the era of Zhongzong of Yin." And the Shiben with Song Zhong's commentary: "Wu Xian was a minister of Yao, who used great arts to be the physician of Emperor Yao." Of these two Yin wu who appear repeatedly in historical records, Peng and Xian "their names both appear in oracle bone inscriptions. Peng's generational sequence cannot be verified; he is suspected to be contemporaneous with Da Yi. Xian should be of the era of Da Wu." Wu Xian was actually a great wu who later became a great deity worshipped by the group of shamans. Hence the Shiben · Zuopian says: "In ancient times Wu Xian first created wu." When King Hui of Qin composed the Curse of Chu, he called Wu Xian the "great and illustrious deity."
The Classic of Mountains and Seas · Classic of the Western Regions Beyond the Seas: "The Kingdom of Wu Xian is north of Nü Chou. They hold a green snake in the right hand and a red snake in the left hand. On Mount Dengbao, all the wu ascend and descend." The kingdom is named after Wu Xian, and its leader must have been the shaman Wu Xian. The second is the Kingdom of Wu Zai. The land of Wu Zai is in the area of present-day Wuxi County and Wushan County in Chongqing. The Classic of Mountains and Seas also records this. The Classic of the Great Wilderness South says: "There is the Kingdom of Zai Min. Emperor Shun begot Wu Yin, who descended to dwell at Zai; this is called the Wu Zai people. The Wu Zai had the surname Fen." The people of this kingdom all had the surname Fen. Among the ten wu there was Wu Fen, and Wu Fen must have been the shaman of this kingdom. Also, according to Mr. Dong Qixiang's research: "Wu Zai" may be said to be "Wu Yan."
The Guoyu · Chu Yu also clearly records wu: "People offered sacrifices, and every family had its own wu and scribe, with no sincerity. The people were impoverished by sacrifices yet did not know their blessings. Sacrifices were offered without measure, and people and gods occupied the same position. The people profaned their covenants and oaths; there was no solemn majesty. The gods became familiar with the people's ways and did not purify their conduct. Auspicious growth did not descend, and there was nothing with which to offer sacrifice. Disasters and calamities came repeatedly, and none could exhaust their vital force." These lines mean that at that time shamanic practices were especially prevalent in the State of Chu, and people could not do without wu at any moment.
Besides some shamanic books in ancient texts, some shamanic techniques that ancient people specifically practiced are still circulating among the people today. The most famous are "Huo Zhu Lin," "Ling Qi Divination," and "Qiu Qian" (drawing lots). The latter, "Qiu Qian," is relatively familiar to people today, because temples everywhere and some street fortune-tellers still use it to make a living. But "Huo Zhu Lin" and "Ling Qi Divination" are somewhat unfamiliar to everyone. In fact, "Huo Zhu Lin" is still practiced in many mountainous rural areas and in market alleys. "Huo Zhu Lin," also called the "coin divination method," uses tossing coins for divination. People today use it as a method of gambling. "Ling Qi Divination" has basically disappeared; it was a simple method of divination using flags. In the Tang Dynasty there was also a Ling Qi Jing attributed to Dongfang Shuo of the Han Dynasty. It was thought to be lost, but later manuscripts discovered in Dunhuang and the Daozang both contain this book.
In Tujia areas where Maogusi prevails, belief in shamanism was a long historical stage, and the shamanic rule over their thinking was preserved in their minds for a long time. Shamanism also became a spiritual support for them. The Tujia people could use shamanism to deify living things or natural objects.
The Tujia people have examples of deifying trees through witchcraft. For instance, in Longshan County, Xiangxi, there is a Tujia village called Laxidong, in the middle of which stand two trees locally known as Yanliang trees. According to forestry experts, they are over a thousand years old, with a trunk diameter of two meters and a height of sixty meters. For thousands of years, the people of Laxidong have regarded them as gods, and during every New Year and festival, the Tujia people of Laxidong go to pay homage to them. The Earth God shrine of Laxidong is set up under these trees. The villagers have stipulated: these two Yanliang trees must be doubly cherished, and no disrespectful behavior toward them is allowed. Around them, vulgar language must not be spoken, and one must not urinate or defecate under the trees. If anyone violates these rules, besides being condemned by the whole village, the violator will also receive certain retribution, either falling ill or dying. Therefore, for thousands of years, no one has dared to defy these rules.
The Tujia people also have examples of deifying animals through witchcraft. As in the above case, taking Laxidong as an example again: in Laxidong, many people's childhood names are named after animals. The animals used as childhood names include dogs, chickens, cows, pigs, etc. Those with dog as childhood names include: "Gouposheng", "Shuanggou", "Goubi", "Goulao", "Gouya", etc.; those with chicken as childhood names include "Jizaizai", "Jigongbao", "Jiyou", "Jifeng", etc.; those with cow as childhood names include "Niutebaozi", "Nisigui", "Niulangku", etc.; those with pig as childhood names include "Zhufeng", "Zhuzai", "Zhushigui", "Zhuya", etc. The Tujia people believe that giving a child the name of an animal brings the protection of witchcraft, enabling the child to live long, prosper, and be easy to raise to adulthood.
In addition, the Tujia people also treat other things in nature as objects of worship. For example, in Laxidong, many parents, in order to make their newborn children easy to raise to adulthood, have their children ritually adopted by natural objects such as mountains, rocks, and water. Those with mountains as childhood names include: "Naqieshan", "Tucheshan", "Kuzashan", "Genaoshan", etc.; those with water as childhood names include: "Shuiyou", "Shuiji", "Shuifeng", "Shuihua", "Shuijingbao", "Shuilao", etc.; those with rocks as childhood names include "Yanjibao", "Yanqiangfu", "Yanfu", "Yanfeng", "Yanmei", "Yanlaogui", etc.
The witchcraft of the Tujia people is also manifested in activities of praying for nature's blessings. For example, if there is no rain, they invite a Tima (sorcerer) to pray for rain. Even if unsuccessful, they hold firm to their faith and never rebel, enduring the torment of disaster with their tenacious will. Because in their minds there is an unshakable belief: that later witchcraft will drive away disasters and difficulties, and if they endure for a while, it will pass. If a family has no children, the Tujia people tend to look for reasons within themselves, and thus invite a Tima to fulfill a vow and pray for heaven's blessing. If behavior harmful to the community occurs in the village, such as reckless logging of trees, the Tima leads everyone in the "Yuecuo (shrine)" to slaughter pigs and sheep, smear blood as an oath, and use knotted grass as markers to seal off the mountain, calling on people to consciously abide by it. If a child in any family falls ill, a Tima is invited to perform witchcraft to drive away evil spirits and expel the White Tiger, so that the child can grow up healthily. In general, witchcraft in Tujia areas is not a role played, but a fusion of nature in the Tujia soul. In the old society, witchcraft became the primary means of handling affairs in Tujia areas.
The witchcraft of the Tujia people is also manifested in the expulsion of disease and epidemics. In Tujia villages, if someone in a family suffers from a long-term incurable illness, a Tima is invited to "descend to the underworld" for treatment. "Descending to the underworld" is a kind of witchcraft activity: the Tima dresses up as a deity and goes to the underworld to investigate the cause of the patient's illness, then the Tima tells the patient's family that it is caused by a certain reason, and the patient's family then acts according to the Tima's instructions, and indeed there are effects.
Where there is witchcraft, there are gods. Gods and witchcraft are born together and accompany each other; gods and witchcraft are twin brothers. Witchcraft is the role of a half-human, half-god entrusted by people to worship gods, seeking divine blessings and protection for people, so that the gods may grant people peace year after year and even for a lifetime, allowing them to live a stable life. Therefore, gods are also a kind of intangible thing that often accompanies the Tujia people but cannot be seen. The gods of the Tujia people have their own characteristics. Unlike other ethnic groups, some gods are shared by several ethnic groups. The gods of the Tujia people are all native gods, all evolved from ancestors. These gods were once important figures in Tujia history, such as: the Eight Great Kings, Duke Peng, Tian Haohan, Xiang Laoguanren, Mei Chang, Yong, Busuo, General Bapu, Lady Baiguo, Papa Mama, etc. These ancestors were all once human beings, and people who made significant contributions to the Tujia people. Although they have died, even for thousands or tens of thousands of years, their distance from the Tujia people has not been estranged because of death. On the contrary, the Tujia people worship them through different ways, on different occasions, and at different times. When entering a household, the deceased ancestors of that family are also the gods of that family. Besides worshipping them during New Year and festivals, they also worship them when there is an opportunity in ordinary times. Some even before every meal first pick up a bit of good food, insert chopsticks into the rice to worship the deceased ancestors, and then eat themselves. This may seem somewhat ignorant and backward, but in fact it is a continuation and inheritance of a strong belief of the Tujia people, and the source of Tujia virtue and character. Through these means, the deceased slowly become gods in the hearts of the Tujia people. They are not only not estranged from the living Tujia people, but have drawn closer to the living, deepening people's reverence and faith in them. Therefore, in Tujia sacrificial activities, whether Tima or others, treating their own ethnic heroes as gods is not surprising at all. It is these gods transformed from humans that have been able to connect the hearts of the Tujia people for thousands of years, which cannot but be called a miracle.
In addition, the Tujia people also regard those deceased or living Tima with high magical skills as gods, and call these Tima by their dharma names, respectfully addressing them as "Fatu". Such as Peng Fatu, Shang Fatu, Xiang Fatu, etc. When performing Tima rituals, the presiding Tima first invites the gods (called "Gamaifeng" in Tujia language), among which are living Tima. The purpose of the presiding master inviting them is to have them help him complete and perform this ritual well. Of course, this help is also invisible and intangible, a kind of thought in the spiritual world, but the Tima all regard living Tima as gods. If these living Tima are not invited, the presiding master feels that the gods have not been properly invited, and the invitation of gods is not complete. What the presiding master asks the living Tima to do is to help secretly (in Tima terminology, "in the underworld"), so that his ritual can be performed perfectly. Treating living natural persons as gods to be invited is another way in which the Tujia people differ from other ethnic groups.