The focus of the thesis is on the “epics of Yi’s origin” By studying them, we may have a closer examination of whether the Yi can be categorized as one “ethnos.”
A. The approach: Compiling documents and putting maps together
The contents of an ethnos’ epics of origin are mainly legends, heroes, ethnic origin, immigration and ancestor veneration, which are not entertaining. The occasions to chant the epics, such as seasonal worshiping and funerals, make the epics solemn. That lets a group of people identify themselves with their own epics. The thesis observes and explains Yi via its epics of origin since people of a same ethnos are supposed to have the same texts which make them feel the same. The texts include the philosophy view of “creation,” identification with the history of one’s “ethnic origin,” and religious experience of “ancestor veneration.”
First, I reorganized 108 epics out of scattered documents and systemize them. Both for ethnological or anthropologic field observations and for the overall description of an ethnos’ history of literature or ethnohistory, the systemization is of broader consolidation. Second, the thesis produces 21 maps and puts them together in three map overlay modes. That adds the concept of “space” to the presentation of the epics and creates the “space” in which Yi’s “language varieties” and “branches” can meet, letting us able to search for the meanings of the relationships among the three – epics, language varieties, and branches – in the space. These are what the forerunners on the study haven’t given any definition for.
The three map overlay modes are “Yi’s branches vs six language varieties vs distribution of Yi’s epics of creation,” “Yi’s branches vs six language varieties vs distribution of three main narrative systems of Yi’s epics of creation,” and “Yi’s epics of ethnic origin vs six language varieties vs distribution of the branches from the six forefathers.” We can see the distributions of the epics, language varieties and branches of Northern Yi and Eastern Yi match. But in Yunnan, the result of map overlay appears in a state of disarray. The main cause may be Yi’s branches in Yunnan are complicated, which underlines the belonging issues in the epics and language varieties. Actually, these issues are something the thesis wants to explore to find out if Yi is “an ethnos with many branches” or “an ethnic group made up of several ethnos.”
B. The values of the epics of Yi’s origin and history:
The epics of Yi’s origin and history can be categorized into epics of creation, epics of ethnic origin, and epics for ancestor veneration. All of them reflect Yi’s religion based on worshiping ancestral spirits and also connect closely with the history of Yi. The thesis tries to study 108 epics of Yi’s origin systematically.
(a) Yi’s epics of creation can be divided into three narrative systems.
With the self-made “scenario plates” units, I analyze 39 epics of creation and categorize them into three narrative systems – the Lewo Teyi System in Sichuan, the System of the Birth and Changes of the Universe in Guezhou, and the System of Changing Human Races in Yunnan. In Yi’s multi narrative systems, we can see many different styles and features. It’s very rare for an ethnos to have all of the characteristics. Thus, we can conclude that Yi can at least be divided into three different ethnos.
(b) Yi’s epics of ethnic origin are centered on family histories.
Yi’s epics of ethnic origin which are based on Yi’s family pedigrees built on the patronymic linkage naming system are recorded and edited by bimos. There are 21 well-organized epics of ethnic origin which mainly distribute in Bijie, Guezhou and Wuding, Yunnan. The core of the epics is the branching story of the six ancestries. In Yunnan, the story is not complete and also in a state of disarray. It might be caused by the communication factor. In terms of centralized development, the story of Dumu and the branching of the six ancestries is exclusive in the Eastern Yi region. The thesis explores seven contemporary works on Yi’s history and finds out that “Dumu and Yi’s six forefathers” has departed from Yi’s “legendry” and transformed into part of Yi’s “history.”
(c) Long poetry for ancestor veneration sufficiently presents Yi’s beliefs of ancestral spirits.
A big chunk of Yi’s ancient religious books are those for remembering the dead whose contents are mainly expressing veneration in the form of long poetry. After reorganization, there are 64 long poems for expressing veneration and most of them (36 in total) are the chi lu ching, scripture of leading the road. The thesis tries to find the differences among the groups of Yi’s language varieties in the aspects of the “concept of ancestral spirits,” “funerary and burial customs,” and “ancestor veneration.” I think that the concept of the immortal soul is prevailing among the Yi. The idea of returning to the ancestry is particularly obvious in the Northern Yi region and can be found in part of the Eastern Yi region. The idea is hardly found in other Yi regions but the traces of the idea are left in part of the rites there.
C. Yi is more like an “ethnic group” made up of “several ethnos.”
The three sets of overlaid maps of Yi’s epics of creation prove the relationships among Yi’s branches and language varieties are in a state of disarray, causing the epics not really match with the branches. The most complicated area is Yunnan. On the other hand, the epics and branches have some sort of correlation in Sichuan of Northern Yi and Guezhou of Eastern Yi.
As for Yi’s epics of ethnic origin, the three sets of overlaid maps show that the epics, branches, and language varieties are related. The situation can be seen in Nori and Nasu groups of Eastern Yi. However, there isn’t any epic of ethnic origin in other language variety regions. Thus I assume Nori and Nasu groups have become main groups of Yi and their family histories have thus become important parts of Yi’s ethnohistory.
Long poetry for ancestor veneration aims to clarify the common historical memories of the Yi in terms of the concept of time. Via the linking of the patronymic linkage naming system and the chi lu ching, based on the religious concept of ancestral spirits, and with the help of bimos, Yi’s branches seem to connect together under the influence of “religion.”
An ethnos’ epics of origin demonstrate the historical view of the ethnos and represent the thoughts of the ethnos. Therefore, epics of origin of an ethnos can be regarded as something bred by the ethnos’ history of literature and its ethnohistory. Thus, I use “epics of ethnic origin and history” as a criterion to explore “Yi.” Through multi analyses, it is obvious that Yi is “an ethnic group made up of several ethnos” rather than “an ethnos with many branches.” This conclusion can be used to re-examine the existing issues on Yi’s ethnohistory and its history of literature and to review the ethnic identification process of the Yi after Yi was certified as an ethnos.