The Cultural Environment of Maogusi's Origin (Part 3)
3. Tima Ritual Procedures (selected): 1. Calming the gods—the Tima faces the divine chart, shaking a bronze bell (left hand) and ritual knife (right hand), turning in place, and sings the Tima Song in the Tujia language.
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III. Tima Ritual Procedures (Selected Introduction):
1. Pacifying the Gods: The Tima faces the Yuepi (divine chart), shaking the bronze bell (held in the left hand) and the ritual knife (held in the right hand), turning in place. He sings the 'Tima Song' in the Tujia language:
Ahai, aze yao, zeha, taye reye shumu la,
Xieye jiye ti ni la, yeti zhu ye shumu ti ni pa fu zhu ye ye lai ye,
Ni ye re luo bi luo, tangwu ye luo ye ti cha ti cha bo.
The meaning in Chinese is: First we praise the ancestors for their incomparably noble character; we have come with sincere hearts to pay you respect, and you should grant us blessings and bestow good fortune.
2. Sending Off the Plague God: The Tima receives from the right side the bowl brought by the accompanying deity, the bowl containing pig offal. The Tima holds the bowl in his left hand, makes eating motions with his right hand, and recites incantations, making eating motions as he recites, walking out beyond the main gate (the main gate being closed, he opens the side door on the right). After offering incense outside the gate, he returns to the central hall, recites incantations and makes driving-away motions at the fire pit outside the door of the household head's dwelling, then returns to the central hall to worship the gods and cast divination blocks. After obtaining an auspicious result, he burns part of the string of coins in the central hall, and the two accompanying deities set off firecrackers. The Tima blows the ox horn, indicating that the plague god has been sent away.
3. Worshipping the Heavenly King Dragon God: This ritual procedure is conducted in the courtyard (because the Heavenly King Dragon God died a violent death outside). The left accompanying deity wears a straw hat and carries a long knife on the right shoulder, standing to the Tima's left. The Tima holds a string of paper money and a piece of blue cloth in his left hand, and large divination blocks in his right hand, singing while striking the large blocks. After singing a short passage, he performs a salute, bending forward and pushing twice during the salute (the left accompanying deity does the same), then throws the large divination blocks high over his head onto the ground.
4. Raising Troops and Dispatching Troops, also called Ascending to the Heavenly River. A sleeping mat is spread in the central hall, the main gate is closed, and one door on the right is opened. The two accompanying deities and the Tima stand side by side in the center of the central hall. The left accompanying deity holds a string of divination coins, the right accompanying deity holds the ritual knife, and the Tima dances and sings.
5. Luoshen (Luo Spirit): As the saying goes, 'The host fears divination, the Tima fears Luoshen.' This procedure is the most exhausting segment for the Tima. The Tima holds the bronze bell and ritual knife, sometimes kneeling, sometimes standing, sometimes jumping, dancing and singing all the while.
6. Striking the Railing: A continuation of Luoshen. After singing one passage, the Tima uses the ritual knife to divine good or ill fortune on the ground (meaning fortune-telling). If the small ring of the ritual knife lies flat on the ground, it is auspicious; if it stands upright, it is inauspicious. If auspicious, the household head kneels together with the Tima in worship.
7. Sitting on the Horse: A long bench is placed in the host's central hall as a horse, divided into horse head and horse tail. There are movements such as washing the horse, preparing the horse, fitting the saddle, and tightening the girth. Then the Tima holds the bronze bell and ritual knife, sits on the horse, and sings and dances, while the two accompanying deities each hold strings of coins and stand on either side. The Tima sways, dances, and sings.
8. Worshipping Yang Coins, also called Worshipping Ancestral Coins. Immediately following Sitting on the Horse, an adult's garment is first wrapped into the shape of a child and held in the arms; jokes are exchanged with the accompanying deities. The Tima takes the ritual knife and string of coins and sings antiphonal songs with the accompanying deities. After the antiphonal songs are finished, the Tima holds the string of coins and dances and sings.
9. Worshipping the Four Officials Gods: A winnowing basket is placed in the host's central hall, with a pig's head wrapped in cloth, several pieces of cake and tofu. The Tima sometimes sits, sometimes kneels, both hands joined together. The ritual knife and bronze bell are held together, swaying left and right, the body swaying along. After singing one passage, the Tea Granny pours wine into a cup. The Tima holds small divination blocks to divine good or ill fortune. Afterward, firecrackers are set off, and the pig's head and cakes above are for the Tima to enjoy.
10. Ten Ka (Sending Money): (1) First Ka money (given to the Tuwang), (2) Second Ka money (given to the Blue Sky Grandfather), (3) Third Ka money (given to the Heavenly King Dragon God). The two accompanying deities hold strings of coins (cut from kraft paper in the same style as paper hung during Qingming Festival), dancing and singing (the accompanying deities must answer the Tima). The Tima switches hands: bronze bell in the right hand, ritual knife in the left, singing in slow tempo, stepping the four directions. After each passage, both hands are raised high overhead, the ritual knife and bronze bell shaken simultaneously, and the body spins several circles continuously, then kneels on the ground to cast the large divination blocks. The household head and the accompanying deities and Tea Granny kneel simultaneously, performing bowing salutes, pushing the body forward twice, repeated three times each. Then the district money is burned in the central hall. While burning the paper money, the household head, Tea Granny, accompanying deities, and Tima kneel on all four sides.
11. Returning Troops: Going to Bamian Mountain (a great mountain within the borders of Longshan County, western Hunan, standing abruptly among the mountain ranges, majestic in bearing) to worship the Granny God. The ritual hall setup is the same as above. At this point the Tima returns the ritual knife and bronze bell to the hands from which they should be taken, recites incantations, and sings step by step from the household head's dwelling up to the Granny Cave on Bamian Mountain. After worshipping the Granny God, 'Ascending to Yangzhou' follows immediately.
12. Ascending to Yangzhou: The ritual hall setup is the same as above. The Tima faces the right corner of the main gate, waving the bronze bell and ritual knife, blowing the horn to send the gods to Yangzhou.
13. Resolving Enmity: At the beginning of this procedure, the Tima lies on the ground with a millstone, farming tools such as plow and harrow, etc., pressed upon his body. The accompanying deities ask questions, and the Tima answers.
14. Ascending to the Heavenly River: The Tima unties the cloth-wrapped child figure from the horse and hands it to the household head. Two long benches are joined together with the Yuepi (divine chart) placed on top, four cakes are arranged, and a cigarette is lit, representing the Heavenly River Bridge. Then a steamer is placed flat at the household head's doorway, and a Tea Granny sits holding an umbrella at one end of the steamer. The Tima waves a long knife and recites incantations, then holds the household head's child in his arms and approaches the steamer step by step, singing as he walks, passing the child three times through the steamer, with the Tea Granny receiving the child.
15. Praying for Sons and Daughters: The Tima sits facing the main gate to the west, the two accompanying deities face the shrine. The Tima holds the ritual knife and bronze bell, swaying and singing, with the accompanying deities responding. He sings through various disabled people such as the blind, lame, leprous, deaf, hunchbacked, etc. (asking during the singing whether these people are wanted), and the accompanying deities answer that these people are not wanted. The Tima then sings of various craftsmen (carpenters, blacksmiths, tailors, bamboo craftsmen, merchants, etc.), asking the accompanying deities whether they are wanted, and the accompanying deities answer that these skilled people are wanted. The Tima then sings of those sons who work diligently and earnestly, asking whether they are wanted, and the accompanying deities answer 'Cha, cha, cha' (good, good, good).
16. Expelling the White Tiger: All the divine tables near the main gate are removed, the main gate is opened, and a table is placed in the courtyard. A stool is placed on the table, and a bamboo pole is tied to the side, with three branches left on it. A rooster is hung upside down on it. A burly man holding a machete stands outside the gate. The Tima holds a long knife and darts about the central hall. The rooster tied and hung on the bamboo suddenly flies away; the burly man cuts the bamboo in half at the waist with his knife, indicating that the White Tiger has been driven away. The Tima goes out the gate and performs three bowing salutes, after which the entire procedure ends.
It lasts three days and two nights without interruption.
17. Sending Heavenly Money: The Tima takes out the small red paper figure from the steamer and gives it to the household head to place on the cupboard (to be burned after one year). Then the chart of the Twelve Heavenly Maidens of the Heavenly Gate is burned. Then a large string of heavenly money is raised on a bamboo pole one zhang six chi long above the eaves outside the main gate and burned together with firecrackers.
These procedures of Tima ritual practice—ordinary people cannot discern the secrets within them, but for the Tima they are a complete set of multiple shamanic chain combinations that are strict and methodical. In particular, when the Tima performs these rituals, he must proceed step by step, without carelessness, without substituting one thing for another, and must have a devout heart to do well for the host. Otherwise, not only will the host be dissatisfied, but the Tima himself will also be punished by the gods.