The origin, form and characteristics of Guizhou Tujia's Pendulum Dance?

I. The Tujia people and their folk dance - the pendulum dance Due to various historical reasons, in the Tujia people's habitat in this piece of territory, is indeed by human history refrigerated and precipitation of the rich primitive cultural information. Moreover, these primitive cultural remains are more often preserved in the songs and dances of this ethnic group. Ethnic folk dance is an important part of traditional culture, with special stylistic colors. For thousands of years, it is through these songs and dances that the primitive cultural genes of the Tujia ethnic group have been transmitted, the psychological mechanism of the ethnic group has been submerged and nurtured, and the temperament and character of the ethnic group have been cultivated, so that the ethnic group has left a series of distinctive and bright footprints on the road of its development. (Chen Dong, 2004) Pendulum Dance, Tujia language called "She Ba Ri" "She Ba Ba", the Chinese translation of "play pendulum", held in the beginning of the first month of every year. Yongshun County Records" said: "at the beginning of the first month, men and women gathered singing and dancing, to get rid of the unknown, the name is swinging hands, also known as the transfer of the year." Pendulum divided into large pendulum, small pendulum two kinds, the content is very rich, there are performance of ancient war "horse before the dance", reproduces the hunting life of "hunting dance", there are from agricultural production "agricultural dance ", as well as the life of mosquitoes, combing hair and other actions, vivid images, interesting. This kind of dance, mass, entertainment is particularly strong, both a traditional dance, but also a fitness exercise, since generations by the Tujia masses welcome. During the Qing Dynasty, the Tujia poet Peng Shiduo described the scene in "Xi Zhou Zhu Zhi Zi" as follows: "The brocade in the city of Fushi is made of nests/the water on the banks of the Tusi Ancestral Shrine is born of waves/the red lamps with ten thousand dots are stacked on top of each other/a piece of tangled swinging hand song." With the theme of praying for good luck and happiness, the Pendulum Dance expresses a wide range of rich social life contents such as the opening of heaven and earth, human reproduction, national migration, hunting and fishing, mulberry and silk weaving, slash-and-burn cultivation, ancient wars, myths and legends, as well as daily life of eating, living and drinking, etc., and displays a magnificent picture scroll of the history of the Tujia and a richly flavorful picture scroll of the life of the Tujia with an epic-like structure and blazing colors to the people. (The Family of Nationalities, 1996) The origin of the Pendulum Dance The Tujia is a people who can sing and dance well. The Tujia Hand Pendulum Dance is a kind of mass ethnic cultural activity of singing and dancing, which is quite characteristic of the Tujia ethnic group. It is an important competition for the Tujia people to reward their ancestors with songs and dances, and it is a traditional cultural phenomenon of the Tujia people with a long history. Therefore, its origin is an issue worth exploring. As of today, the academic community has done a lot of discussion, many scholars have also published valuable insights. But it is still a matter of opinion, opinions vary, in a nutshell, there are roughly such a few points of view: the first, the original dance of the Ba people said 1, by the military dance to Bayu dance (or hoof dance) and then to the swinging hand dance; Wang Guang in the "General History of Chinese Culture - Ethnic Culture" mentioned: as early as the Yin and Shang Dynasties, there are Ba people "singing and dancing to Ling Yin people" records, to the Han Dynasty evolved into "the" Han Dynasty, "the" Han Dynasty, "the" Han Dynasty, "the" Han Dynasty, "the" Han Dynasty, "the" Han Dynasty, "the" Ba people "singing and dancing to Ling Yin people" records. In the Han Dynasty, the "Bayu Dance" entered the court. 1) The earliest military dance began in the Huayang Guozhi (Records of the State of Huayang - Ba Zhi), which reads: "When King Wu of Zhou conquered the Zhou Dynasty, he obtained the divisions of Ba and Shu, which were written in the Book of Shang. The Ba division was brave and sharp, and sang and danced to overcome the Yin people. The Yin people fell back, so the world called the day 'King Wu invaded the Feng, before the song and dance' also." At present, many scholars mostly based on this allusion, agreed that the Tujia hand dance originated in the Shang and Zhou period of military combat dance. It is also believed that "there are a lot of legends about the origin of the Pendulum Dance in folklore, but the earliest Pendulum Dance recorded in historical records originated from the military war dance of the Ba people during the Shang and Zhou periods." (Wang Guang, 1998) Some scholars refer to it as the "pre-military dance". As early as the middle of the 11th century B.C., the "Ba division" formed by the Tujia ancestors joined King Wu's expedition to conquer the Zhou Dynasty with songs and dances. At that time, this kind of dance was called the "pre-military dance". (Peng Yingming 2001) "This dance was originally a pre-military war dance, which is inherently strong and courageous." (Lin Yongren and Lai Lianlin 2000) According to the historical records, we can imagine the scene of the ancient Ba people fighting bravely and attacking vigorously while singing and dancing. The Yin people were so frightened that they fled, and their songs and dances must have been war songs and martial dances, and their morale was magnificent and unstoppable. This is the best proof that art is used on the battlefield to achieve the effect of psychological warfare. 2) from the military dance to Bayu dance (or foot dance); "Sharpness and joy of dance" of the Bayu people in the Zhou war to conquer the Zhou Dynasty, after the war, by the Lord of the Zhou favorite, once was introduced to the court, the emperor in the great music. But its main vitality in the folk, is the male and female Ba people that song and dance to express the joy of a form of folk art, to the Tang and Song Dynasty, also known as "the hoof-treading play". The classification of the "return to" recorded "Ba people, barbarians and sinuos are good Ba song, the name is Tap Shoe". Lu You's "Notes of Laoxuean" specifically describes it as "men and women gather and sing songs, and when there is a break in the farm, up to one or two hundred people will hold hands and sing songs", and the lyrics of the song are "men and women sing bamboo sticks". (Lin Yongren and Lai Lianlin 2000) In the Western Han Dynasty, this method was borrowed by Liu Bang. In the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, the Southern Barbarians and the Southwestern Barbarians, it is written that the Barbarians of Bandun were: "When Gaozu became the king of Han, he sent the barbarians back to attack the Sanqin region. In the middle of the Yu water, its people live around the water. The nature of the strong and brave, the first for the Han front, a number of battlefield. Popular like singing and dancing." Gaozu said, "This is the song of King Wu's fencing, and ordered the musicians to study the so-called "Bayu Dance" as well." Ba people of this military dance has since become the Han court dance music, known as Bayu dance. "Wei Wendi Huangchu two years (221 years) change Bayu dance for Zhaowu dance, Jin Xianning first year (275 years) and abolished for Xuanwu dance. Liang again restored the name, later renamed the Scabbard Dance. Sui because of it. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the Bayu Dance was listed as Qing Gao Le." In the Song Dynasty, some people thought that Bayu Dance was not suitable for court dance music, "was played off." But in the folk, Bayu dance has been continued. Han Dynasty Yang Xiong, He Yan in the Ba people live in the place of the Ba people heard and witnessed the Ba people's songs and dances. From the Han to the Tang and Song dynasties, Bayu Dance has endured in the folk, "Kui Zhou Tu Jing", "Barbarian Book", "Lao Xuean Notes" and other records. Kui Zhou Tu Jing" in the "popular rumor of the first night of the first month ...... to drum for the hoof-treading play." This kind of hoof-tapping dance is the inheritance of the Bayu dance. (Wang Guang, 1998) 3) From the Bayu Dance (or Treading Feet Dance) to the Pendulum Dance. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the entertainment form of the Pendulum Dance continued to develop in the folklore, and the Tujia cottages all set up "Pendulum Halls", with the Pendulum Dance as an important ritual song and dance. At the beginning of the first month of each year, both men and women gather in the hall to sing and dance, "men and women together, dancing and