Tujia Folk Beliefs and Culture — Goddess Worship (Part 1)
Chapter 4: Goddess Worship. Tujia goddess worship is extremely rich, with numerous goddesses enshrined. These goddesses can be roughly divided into three categories: ancestor goddesses, fertility goddesses, and production goddesses. I. Ancestor Goddesses. Ancestor goddesses are the most primitive deities worshipped by the Tujia, often regarded as the great mother goddess of the clan or ethnic group...
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 Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated.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.
Chapter Four Goddess Worship
The content of Tujia goddess worship is very rich, and the number of goddesses worshipped is large. These goddesses can be roughly divided into three categories: one category is ancestor goddesses; one category is fertility goddesses; and one category is production goddesses.
I. Ancestor Goddesses
Ancestor goddesses are the most primitive deities worshipped by the Tujia. They are often regarded as the great mother goddesses of the clan or ethnic group, the source of the birth of life, and some are even goddesses who created heaven and earth.
1. Luanyu. Myth says that Luanyu was born from an egg. In ancient times, the world was a mass of black smoke, with no heaven and no earth, no day and no night. Suddenly a great wind blew, scattering the black smoke, and a white cloud drifted over, bearing an egg. The egg white was like heaven, and the yolk like earth. The egg cracked open, and out jumped a girl. Her name was Luanyu, and she was the ancient ancestor worshipped by the Tujia people for generations. Luanyu drank tiger's milk and ate iron lumps, so she was very strong. Luanyu quickly grew to adulthood. Seeing that heaven and earth were stuck together, she shot them apart with arrows. Only after heaven and earth were separated did the world exist.
After Luanyu shot heaven and earth apart, there were no people in the world. She felt very lonely, and thinking that in the future when she grew old she would have no one to rely on, she actually wept sadly. Goddess Nüwa advised her not to cry. She told her to walk upstream along the Yellow River, and when she saw 8 peaches drifting down, to pick them up and swallow them, and when she saw 1 peach blossom drifting down, also to pick it up and swallow it, and then she would have descendants.
Luanyu did as Goddess Nüwa said, and indeed saw 8 peaches and 1 peach blossom drifting down, so she picked them up and swallowed them. Before long, she became pregnant, carried the child for 3 years and 6 months, and gave birth to 8 sons and 1 daughter. From then on there were people in the world. Because the ancestors of the Tujia were born after Luanyu swallowed the peaches and peach blossom, when an infant reaches 40 days old, a peach-shaped hairstyle is shaved on the crown of the head, and girls are often given names containing the word peach.
Another Tujia myth also tells the story of Luanyu shooting the sun and moon: long ago, torrential rain fell from the sky, and the water rose as high as heaven, but it did not cause humankind to die out. The Jade Emperor then released 12 suns, which scorched the earth day and night. Rocks were split by the heat, and vegetation was scorched and withered. Of the 120 clans of people, 20 clans had already died from the heat, and humankind faced extinction. Luanyu pitied the suffering common people under heaven, climbed to the top of a mulberry tree, and with the arrows that had once shot heaven and earth apart, shot down 10 suns. When the eyebrow grass saw this, it worried that she would shoot down the remaining two suns as well, so it jumped onto Luanyu's brow, making Luanyu's eyes unable to see clearly and unable to hit the target accurately. When she shot one arrow, it went off target and wounded one of the suns, and thus two suns were left. The wounded sun's light weakened, and when it came out, it became night. The other unwounded sun still shone as before, and when it came out, it was day. The sun that traveled at night was the elder brother, called the moon, and the sun that traveled by day was the younger sister, still called the sun. When the younger sister appeared by day, everyone could see her, and she felt very shy. Luanyu then gave the sun a package of five-colored divine needles, so that when anyone looked at her, she would use the needles to prick their eyes and make them unable to open. The elder brother, traveling at night, was lonely, so Luanyu also released stars all over the sky to keep him company. From then on, the sun and moon each carried out their duties and faithfully served people.
Luanyu is both the ancient ancestor goddess who multiplied the Tujia people and a heroic goddess who saved humankind and fought against natural disasters.
2. She Po. She Po is the ancestor goddess of the Tan surname among the Tujia. She Po gave birth to the sons and daughters of the Tan surname, conceiving through the totem eagle, so the goddess She Po is also related to the eagle totem of the Tan surname, and is a female ancestor goddess created by the ancient Tujia of the Tan surname according to the needs of their clan's totem worship.
The myth "Eagle Grandfather and She Po" says: in ancient times, two tribes fought, and one of the tribes was defeated, with only a girl named She Xiangxiang able to escape. She fled to a great mountain, where there were towering trees everywhere and tigers and leopards roamed the forest in packs. She Xiangxiang crawled into a cave. By then the pursuing soldiers had arrived and surrounded the cave. She Xiangxiang did not dare leave the cave and could only walk deeper into it. As she was walking, she suddenly heard the sound of rushing water; it turned out she had reached an underground river. In the darkness, She Xiangxiang felt a golden basin, so she sat in it and let it drift with the water. Before long she saw light; it turned out she had drifted to a cave mouth, where the water of the underground river poured down from the opening, with sheer cliffs above and below. She Xiangxiang grabbed the rock at the cave mouth, unable to advance or retreat, and was in utter despair. At that moment, a giant eagle flew over in the sky, its wings flashing with five-colored rosy clouds, and its back like the back of a horse. She Xiangxiang silently prayed: "Eagle, if you mean to save me, then land at the cave mouth." The eagle indeed landed at the cave mouth. She Xiangxiang then mounted the eagle's back, and the eagle carried Xiangxiang down the cliff, landed on an earthen flat, and then flew away.
On the earthen flat, She Xiangxiang was tormented by hunger and thirst. She saw a golden pheasant looking for food and said, "I am very thirsty. Golden pheasant, could you find some water for me to drink?" The golden pheasant then scratched the ground with its claws, and clear spring water gushed out from the earth. She Xiangxiang hurriedly scooped it up with both hands and drank, and her spirits revived somewhat. Only then did She Xiangxiang have the chance to observe her surroundings, and she saw that there were great mountains all around, with no road out, so she could only settle here. At night, the eagle flew back again, carrying a cowhide bag in its claws. Xiangxiang opened the cowhide bag and saw that it contained corn cakes, grain and millet seeds, and a small hoe. Xiangxiang stroked the eagle's wings with relief and said, "Eagle! You are truly my savior!" Then she fed cakes to the eagle and also gave it water to drink. At night, Xiangxiang slept on the rock ledge, while the eagle stood beside her keeping watch.
Afterward, Xiangxiang alone practiced slash-and-burn farming on the flat, living a hard life, but fortunately with the eagle as her companion, so that she was not too lonely. Moreover, the things Xiangxiang needed were often brought by the eagle in its beak, so she was able to survive.
One night, Xiangxiang had a dream in the grass hut in which two small eagles rushed into her bosom. Before long, she became pregnant, and at the time of childbirth gave birth to one daughter and one son. Thinking of the dream she had before becoming pregnant, she named the younger brother Feitian and the elder sister Zhilan, and also, because of the green translucent pool that the golden pheasant had scratched out earlier, she had the brother and sister take the surname Tan.
Zhilan and Feitian gradually grew up, and Xiangxiang also grew old and contracted a serious illness, gradually becoming too weak to support herself. Before dying, she called Zhilan and Feitian to her bedside and said: "When I met danger, it was the eagle that saved me. From now on you must respect the eagle as you respect me." Having said this, she died. Before long, the eagle died too. From then on, the brother and sister respectfully called the eagle Eagle Grandfather.
Feitian and Zhilan depended on each other for survival. One day, the siblings were on the mountain cutting grass and gathering firewood. Feitian said, "Sister, so that there may be people in the world, let us marry and bear descendants!" Zhilan blushed crimson with shame, but still said helplessly, "For us to marry, Heaven and Earth must agree." Feitian asked, "How can we know Heaven agrees?" Zhilan said, "Let each of us run to a different mountaintop and burn a stick of incense. If the incense smoke forms a bridge, then Heaven agrees." So the two did this, and indeed the two streams of incense smoke formed a bridge between the two mountains. Then Feitian asked again, "How can we know Earth agrees?" Zhilan said, "Let each of us carry one millstone and roll them down from the mountain. If the two millstones come together, then Earth agrees." So they did as she said, and indeed the two millstones rolled from the mountain into the ravine and came together. Feitian joyfully sought out Zhilan to marry, but Zhilan still refused. She said they must turn their backs to each other and walk around the mountain; if they met again, they would marry. So the two separated and circled the mountain. The mountain was vast and the forest dense, and as Feitian walked, he lost his way. Suddenly, he seemed to hear someone calling: "Follow me! Follow me." Feitian looked up and saw it was an eagle calling. It flew a little, then stopped. In this way, Feitian followed the eagle forward until he reached an ancient tree, where he happened to meet Zhilan. Thus the siblings became husband and wife and bore children. They had 8 sons and 8 daughters, and in this way the Tan clan came into being.
This myth reflects the Tan Tujia people's concept of clan ancestral mother worship, which includes elements of eagle totem worship. The Tan Tujia people to this day strictly observe the rule of not harming eagles, which is a remnant of this worship.
3. Chunba Mama Pa. Chunba Mama Pa is the Salt Water Goddess, also known as the Old Ancestral Grandmother of Mount Ba, later conferred the title of Deji Niangniang (Lady Deji), and shares sacrificial offerings with Lin Jun.
The miracles of the Salt Water Goddess are mainly manifested through the story of her grievances and entanglements with Lin Jun. This is recorded in historical texts, and the oral folk tradition is even richer. According to the oral myth of Changyang, after Lin Jun became king, he led the five clans aboard earthen boats up the Qing River to the territory of Yanchi River, where he encountered the beautiful Salt Goddess, and the two lived together. Later, in order to expand his territory, Lin Jun decided to continue westward along the river. But the Salt Water Goddess was attached to her native place and tried her utmost to obstruct Lin Jun's westward journey. During the day, she transformed into flying insects and led thousands upon thousands of flying insects dancing in the sky, churning up such darkness that the sun and moon lost their light, making it impossible for Lin Jun to discern direction or set out on his journey. Helpless, Lin Jun resorted to a stratagem. When they lodged together at night, he said to the Salt Water Goddess: "You have the magic to transform into flying insects, and my people have the skill of archery. For safety's sake, you must display a special mark on your body." Unaware it was a trick, she clearly told Lin Jun: "The flying insect I transform into is slightly larger than the others, and has a pattern on its neck." After hearing this, Lin Jun issued a secret order to his clan: "Shoot only the flying insect with the patterned neck." As a result, the Salt Water Goddess was shot down, the swarm of flying insects scattered in all directions, and the sky cleared. Lin Jun then led his people westward. After Lin Jun died, people commemorated his achievements and honored him as King Xiang Tianzi. At the same time, remembering that the Salt Water Goddess had after all shared the bond of marriage with Lin Jun, they called her Deji Niangniang. People also named a section of the Qing River gorge where Lin Jun and Deji Niangniang had lived together as Banxia (Companion Gorge). This gorge is deep and beautiful, with scenic spots such as "White Tiger Guards the River," "Looking Back Three Times," and "Salt Goddess Bathing in the Wild."
The common people worship Deji Niangniang, sacrificing to her alongside King Xiang Tianzi throughout the year, hoping she will bless their descendants. Thus legends of Deji Niangniang's miracles also arose. Although these legends are somewhat fabricated, they reflect people's worshipful psychology toward Deji Niangniang.
Legend has it that in the middle reaches of the Qing River there is a place called Jiuwanche, located in deep mountains and gorges, riddled with karst caves, one of which is called Jiuwan Cave. By the Jiuwanche ravine lived a farmer named Li Ziliang. Because his family was poor, when arranging the wedding for his son Li Qi, he could not afford furnishings or to invite guests. So father and son went to Jiuwan Cave, burned incense and paper, and asked the cave spirit to lend them money, grain, and furniture, promising to return them later. Indeed, they borrowed these things. Later, Li Qi gradually saved up some money and came to repay the cave spirit the money, grain, and furniture. After Li Qi placed the money, grain, and furniture at the cave entrance, he did not leave, but hid behind a rock to see what would happen. As dusk fell, he suddenly saw a flash of golden light at the cave entrance, and a woman in white carrying a bamboo basket walked out of the cave. Li Qi could not help but cry out in surprise. The woman immediately turned and went back into the cave, and then with a loud crash, a huge boulder fell and sealed the cave entrance. Li Qi returned home and fell ill. Neither doctors nor medicine could cure him. He laughed wildly all day and raved incoherently, and on the seventh day he died. From then on, people could no longer borrow anything from Jiuwan Cave. People called this cave "Duobi Rock." That great boulder still covers the cave entrance tightly to this day. It is said that the woman in white was the spirit of Deji Niangniang. It seems that if one wants Deji Niangniang to manifest and bestow blessings, one must respect her and never desecrate her, otherwise one will suffer catastrophic disaster! This legend reflects exactly such a worshipful psychology among the people.
No one has ever actually seen a deity manifest, but superstitious people often have such dreams, and thus arose the legend that Deji Niangniang reveals her true form in people's dreams. Legend has it that in Banxia there is a mountain, and on the mountain stands a stone pillar. On the early mornings of the first and fifteenth of every lunar month, Deji Niangniang would comb her hair, dry clothes, and admire the wildflowers on that stone pillar, and only after sunset would she transform into a ball of white mist and drift into the cave. Strangely enough, this stone pillar is square, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, smooth and slippery, about a hundred zhang tall. Except for immortals, no mortal could climb it. On the mountain opposite the stone pillar lived a widow named Yang, who had been bedridden for a long time. Widow Yang had two sons and one daughter. The daughter was the eldest, fourteen or fifteen years old, and she often took her two younger brothers into the mountains to gather wild jujubes to stave off hunger. One day, the three siblings were in the mountains when the youngest brother suddenly shouted: "Sister, look, there's a person on the rock on the opposite mountain." The sister looked carefully and found that there was indeed someone on the opposite mountain, and it seemed to be a woman sitting on the rock, dressing and adorning herself. The three were very curious and decided to go see for themselves, so they went down along the gully and climbed that mountain. When the three looked up, there was only a great stone pillar piercing the sky, and no person could be seen at all. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and petal-like snowflakes drifted down from the top of the stone pillar, filling the air with fragrance. The younger brother said: "Let's pick some and take them back for Mother to smell the fragrance." Each of the three picked a pouch full of petals and brought them home. They came to their mother's bedside and held the petals up for her to smell. As soon as Widow Yang smelled the fragrance of the flowers, she miraculously sat up, half cured of her illness. Widow Yang was overjoyed, and that night she did not close her eyes until the rooster crowed three times. As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt herself flying, flying all the way to the top of the stone pillar. She saw a woman in white in the middle of the stone pillar, sitting at a stone table combing her hair. The woman did not even look at her, but merely said: "Who told you to come here? Haven't your children already brought back the flowers I scattered? Soak them in water and drink it, and you will be cured." Widow Yang asked who the woman was. She said: "I am Deji Niangniang." When the widow awoke, she realized it was a dream, and following what the woman in the dream had said, she boiled the flowers into a decoction and drank it. After drinking it several times, she was indeed cured. Later, Widow Yang built a temple below the stone pillar, enshrining a statue of Deji Niangniang. That kind of flower also remained in the world to cure illnesses, and it is said the flower is called "Guami Huanyang" (Melon-Maze Return-to-Life).
In legends, Deji Niangniang could not only bestow blessings and rescue people from hardship, but also mediate disputes among people and resolve lawsuits. Legend has it that Shibing Village and Yuanmen Village shared the water of Baishui Cave. One spring, the two villages had a dispute over competing for the water of Baishui Cave to irrigate their fields. Tian Lishan, the headman of Shibing Village, led people to Yuanmen Village and dug up all the branch canals leading to Yuanmen Village, so that Yuanmen Village's fields could not be irrigated and the crops withered. That autumn, Yuanmen Village's rice harvest was a total failure. From then on, the people of Yuanmen Village hated Tian Lishan to the bone. The village headman Tan Junxian went to the county to file a complaint against Tian Lishan, accusing him of monopolizing Yuanmen Village's dragon vein. The county magistrate summoned Tian Lishan to the county yamen for trial. The magistrate charged him with monopolizing the water source of Baishui Cave. Tian Lishan said that Shibing Village had already bought Baishui Cave and produced the deed. Seeing that the purchase documents were complete, the magistrate awarded Baishui Cave to Shibing Village. From then on, the two villages constantly had fights over water. One summer, there was a long drought with no rain. On the sixth day of the sixth month, Yuanmen Village and Shibing Village engaged in a mass armed brawl. For a time, blood and wind and rain filled the air, and the sky went dark. Suddenly, with a loud crash, a clear spring gushed out from a crack in the rock below Baishui Temple. Both sides stopped fighting. In this way, each village had a spring to irrigate its fields. That night, an old woman in a white long skirt appeared to Tan Junxian in a dream and said: "I am the deity of Baishui Temple. I have already divided a spring for you. From now on, do not fight over water anymore." When Tan Junxian awoke, he thought: Isn't the deity of Baishui Temple Deji Niangniang? So on the fifteenth day of the sixth month, the whole village held a grand sacrificial ceremony for Deji Niangniang.
In the central area of Salt Water Goddess worship, that is, the Banxia and Yanchi area where the Salt Water Goddess and Lin Jun are said to have met, remnants of goddess worship still survive to this day, namely various customs in which women are held in esteem: in families in this area, women manage the household. When men grow up, they become live-in sons-in-law; when women come of age, they take husbands into their homes. It is said that Lin Jun of that time was a live-in son-in-law taken in by the Salt Water Goddess, and a river in Banxia called "Zhaolai River" (Summoning River) was named for this reason. In addition, in Yanshui, there was formerly the custom of men and women bathing together in the wild. Men and women bathed in the same pool without the slightest shame, but men were not allowed to make jokes about the women. If any man made a joke, the women would all push him out of the pool together, demonstrating respect for women.