Folk songs and folk music
Pumi folk songs are divided into four categories: political songs, custom songs (ritual songs), life songs and love songs. Custom songs such as "Wedding Song", "Wedding Song", "Banquet Song", "Opening the Door Song" and "Grooming Song" reflect the marriage customs of the Pumi people. Funeral songs such as "Sheep Sending Song" and "Guide Song" reflect the Pumi people's mourning for the deceased and their memory for their ancestors. Ritual songs such as "Sacrifice to the Mountain God", "Sacrifice to the Dragon God", "Sacrifice to the Guozhuang" and "Quit the Talk" express the polygod worship and ancestor worship of the Pumi people. In addition, there are some folk songs that praise the hardworking and brave qualities of the Pumi people and express their dissatisfaction and resistance to the exploiting classes of the old society.
Pumi folk songs have their own strict divisions, which are divided into "Lili" and "Ghei" based on characteristics such as singing form and genre content. "Li" is a Pumi language, and translated into Chinese it means "singing, singing softly or singing with a closed voice". In addition, it can also be translated as a noun, referring to the name of a certain song type. "Lili" folk songs are usually sung by knowledgeable elders and specialized folk artists, and are sung during festivals and rituals. "Gehei" (called "寯" in some places) translated into Chinese means "sing" or sing loudly, and it can also be translated into a song title. The Pumi people in Lanping and Yongsheng areas call this kind of folk song "Jilili". "Lili" has the meaning of a minor tune in Han folk songs. Famous folk songs include "Guli Song", "Oak Leaf Song", "Gonggar Ridge Song", "Yak Herding Song", "Tea Cooking Song", "Wine Drinking Song", etc. There are also many folk singers. Pumi compatriots often play the flute and gourd sheng and dance the traditional "Guozhuang" dance along with the singing of folk songs. The folk songs of the Pumi people also include "Coaxing Baby Tune", "Dancing Song" and so on.
Pumi music has various tunes. For example, "Tumu Song", "Tea Cooking Song", "Samai Song" are songs that women love to sing, "In the Emperor's House", "Gongga Ridge Song", "My Nephew Pays New Year's Greetings to Uncle", etc. It is a song often sung by old men; young people like the tune of "Alijoli". The lyrics of this kind of tune are mostly composed and sung on the spot. Some are short or long. They can express sadness, sadness, joy and love. They can be sung solo or duet by two people. In addition, there is the tune "Zani Longtiao", which is specially used in the chorus form; one person leads the singing, and everyone is easy-going. "Ketan" tunes are specially sung during religious ceremonies.
The main folk music tunes of the Pumi people include Yahabala, Aliaoliao, Nabu Shengluo, etc.
Yahabala is an older folk tune with a long, euphemistic melody and free rhythm. The high range is usually sung in falsetto, and a weak introduction is often used as a supplementary phrase at the beginning. The melody moves from low music to low music. The treble area progresses, and at the end it returns to the original attack, echoing back and forth.
Aliaoliao, this kind of tune generally does not have an introduction, but starts with a higher tonic, which gives people a passionate and unrestrained feeling from the beginning. Aliaoliao is generally used to sing lyrical folk songs such as love songs and folk songs.
Nabu Shengluo is a tune commonly used when people sing antiphonally. It has a distinct rhythm and consists of two sentences that are related to one question and one answer.
The Pumi people are good at singing and dancing, and their folk songs are rich and colorful, with strong national style and local flavor, which reflect the production, life, history, ethics, thoughts, feelings and aesthetic tastes of the Pumi people. Both the vocal and instrumental parts of folk songs can be said to be rich and colorful. Most of the various tunes in the Pumi vocal music have been finalized and have formed their own regional characteristics. The music tunes in the areas north of Ninglang are influenced by the vocal music of Tibetan and Yi people, and also maintain the characteristics of the ethnic groups. The vocal part of Lanping folk songs has traces of Tibetan music, and also reflects the generations of Pumi folk songs. Hand-me-down style.
In terms of vocal music, it can be divided into four parts: folk songs (including love songs), crying tunes, etiquette and sacrifices.
Among them, folk songs can be divided into folk songs, old age songs, going out songs, hunting songs, life (production) songs, respectful songs, pastoral songs, etc.; crying songs are sounds from the heart and are not restricted by rhythm and pitch; ceremonial songs are in specific It can only be sung during rituals and etiquette, so its popularity is relatively narrow; sacrificial songs are mainly composed of primitive religious music, with rich content and different styles, including worshiping dragons, worshiping mountain gods, etc.
In terms of instrumental music, Pumi instrumental music can be divided into four categories: plucked music, wind music, string music and percussion music. Among them, plucked music is divided into four-stringed music, minor three-stringed music and oral stringed music. The four-stringed music has twelve rhythm types, and combined with the twelve corresponding dance step types, Pumi Guozhuang is formed. In addition, flutes, reeds, huqins, suonas, etc. are also musical instruments often used by the Pumi people in singing, dancing or various other activities. The art of carving is mostly in the hands of carpenters. They often carve various patterns and patterns on doors, windows and shrines. On the doors of sutra halls, they carve shapes such as flowers and birds. They made Zongbala (the Kitchen God) out of yellow clay, horse teeth, conches and other objects, placed copper coins inside, painted white ash on the outside, and offered it next to the fire pit.
Lacquerware is also a traditional handicraft of the Pumi people and is famous far and wide. Common products include lacquer bowls, wine jugs, wine glasses, lacquer boxes, etc. They like to use black as the base and red and white patterns, which are small, exquisite, smooth and cute.
The ukulele is a traditional musical instrument that is very popular among the Pumi people. In Pumi Mountain Village, you can often hear the simple and melodious sound of the ukulele, whether in the fields or in the wooden houses. The ukulele is not only an ordinary musical instrument, but also a weapon for young men to express their love to girls.
According to legend, a long time ago, a young man named Abu fell in love with the beautiful girl Anai, but the girl was not moved by Abu's true love at all. Abu sadly chopped wood, carved one end of it into the shape of a human head, and covered the "face" with sheepskin. The other end of the wood was cut into the shape of a human body, and four twine strings were stretched on the wood to make a "four-stringed" qin. Abu played melancholy all day long, producing beautiful music. The sound of strings echoed in the sky above Pumi Village. On the fourth day, Anai was finally moved by Abu's sincerity and accepted Abu's love. Since then, the "four strings" have become a symbol of good fortune and happiness for the Pumi people.
The "four-string" sound quality is beautiful and can play different tunes. When a traveler returns home, his family reunites, and his friends meet again, the Pumi people use "four strings" to express their feelings.
Although they have modern musical instruments and audio equipment, the Pumi people are still reluctant to put down their "four-stringed" qin. People use it to praise their new life, express their love for their hometown, and express their love to the girl.
Musician Chen Zhe established the Pumi inheritance group of the "Tufu Project" and made a lot of efforts for the Pumi cultural inheritance, environmental protection and rural construction. Chen Zhe said, "All the Pumi songs are related to the forest. So I started to go into the mountain villages to look for big trees. In many places in China, huge trees no longer exist. I have been walking for about ten years, and I have also seen Many forests are not as rich and primitive as those in Lanping County. Trees with a diameter of 2 meters and a chest of more than 6 meters are very common. People stand under the trees, and this forest has been preserved with the blood and sweat of the villagers of Yushichang. Yes, they fought bravely against the tree-cutting groups. We counted the annual rings, and the villagers told me that many of these trees are 1,200 to 1,500 years old. These trees have been around since the Tang and Song Dynasties. It is almost unique in China. When I stood under the tree, I thought about one thing: If such trees give me a shock, what kind of joy will they bring to China? A nation has protected a rare thing. The original forests also guard their traditions. Unfortunately, this tradition is facing fragmentation and weakening. Their actions have not been properly respected, and their value has not been fully recognized by people. Today, many people are involved. We want to tell the world through the story of the big tree that the Chinese can still retain a complete spiritual home." The paintings of the Pumi people are mainly used for religious activities, and only lamas can paint some. Simple pictures, such as tigers, leopards, etc. are hung on the door as a ward off evil spirits. The kitchen god "Zongbala" worshiped in front of Guozhuang was painted by a lama.
Families with sutra halls often have murals painted in the sutra hall; white ash is used as the base, and black lines are painted on top, including thunder gongs, tigers, leopards, oxen, etc. The pigments used include white ash, black pot ash, and red powder; It is as simple as painting some white dots on the wall to represent the stars in the sky, symbolizing the auspicious stars shining high.