The "Tima Song" is a long epic poem of the Tujia people, which is mainly distributed in Longshan, Baojing, Yongshun, Guzhang and other counties in the Youshui Basin of western Hunan, and has been passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next, with the Tima Day ceremony as the carrier of inheritance. Its length is so vast that it reaches tens of thousands of lines. It is a huge artistic carrier integrating poetry, song, music and dance, and expresses a wide range of historical and social life contents such as the opening up of the sky and the earth, human reproduction, national rituals, national migration, hunting and farming, and eating and living. It is known as the "national epic" of the Tujia people.
Singing form, in singing, to the Tujia language as the main language of expression, in the form of rhyme and prose synthesis, to take a combination of romanticism and realism of the creative techniques, rhetoric than the Xing, rich vocabulary, imagination, vivid images, has a strong literary. There are singing and chanting, duets and choruses in the performance, both deep, melancholic ancient songs and light-hearted, cheerful pan songs, both lyrical, mournful prayers and funny, comical jokes.
Performance form, "Tima Song" with song and dance throughout, the dance, there are bold such as "Mo Ri Ri Ri", there are dashing such as "sitting horse", there are lingering such as "solve the money", there are rough such as "big reward soldiers", there are funny such as "selecting a man selecting a woman", there are spontaneous such as "pendulum Lang" and so on. As the main dancing tool of Tima in the dance is the copper bell. The form of the tima alone performance of the "solo dance", but also with the god, incense herdsman with the duo or trio dance singing and harmony. The formation of a long mythological dance epic with performances and narratives, as well as songs and dances. It is a unique and rare cultural form, highlighting the precious cultural value, known as "the encyclopedia of all aspects of the study of the Tujia".
Inherited by the Tujia language, the Tima Songs have been passed down orally or in Chinese characters from one generation to the next. Along with the impact of modern civilization, this kind of Tujia rituals passed down by word of mouth have been gradually lost in circulation, and at the same time, due to the great difference between the Tujia language (Tujia) and the Chinese language, it is difficult to understand the connotation, culture, and philosophical value of the Taima Songs.
Inheriting the significance, the Tima Song and its rituals originated from the primitive sorcerer's sacrifices, and in the process of formation and development, they have integrated the contents of heaven and earth, gods and men, all things on earth, historical events, historical figures, the value of life, and philosophical values, etc., and they have connoted a wide range of learning in music, dance, literature, language, folklore, and art, which is called the "treasure house of the culture of the Tujia people". It can be called "the treasure house of Tujia culture". Whether in the form of performance, rhythm, expression, etc., Tima has its own rules and strong national characteristics of the Tujia shaman rituals, which is a direct reflection of the cultural traditions, psychological qualities, aesthetic concepts, and life consciousness of the Tujia people.
Activities and rituals, Tima and its Tima rituals have been widely circulated in the western Hunan Youshui and western Hubei Yishui (Qingjiang River) Basin Tujia settlement area, which is more typical of the Tujia people acting as a communication between the gods and the role of human sorcerer ritual activities. Tima is the Tujia language name of the faith ceremony hosts, its main ritual activities, one is the collective jumping pendulum hand; two is the family play Bodhisattva, Tima commonly known as Tulaosi, is the Tujia language to honor the god of the people.
The Tima Song is a song sung by the Tujia shamans (Tima) during the annual "Jumping Pendulum" to honor the gods and sacrifice, and to eliminate disasters and difficulties for others. The family Tima ceremony, also known as playing with the Bodhisattva, is a group activity during the Tima rituals, which is carried out in accordance with the order and norms of the Tima rituals and during the period of the rituals, and is an outward manifestation of the Tujia people's respect for the gods and the concept of faith. Tima activity is a more typical form of expression of Tujia witch culture, which is a religious activity of sacrificing, driving away ghosts and evil spirits to return wishes, seeking rain and sending the dead.
According to Fangzhi and relevant historical records, when Tiema is engaged in Tiema activities, she wears an eight-paneled skirt, a phoenix-crowned hat, and an eight-precious brass bell and a master's knife, and dances and sings at the same time. The content of the song depends on the nature of the activities hosted by the tema, that is, different occasions sung on different occasions the content of the song is different. When offering sacrifices to the dead, they sing the "Song of Sending the Dead", and when seeking peace of mind, they sing the "Song of Returning Wishes", and when driving away evil spirits, they sing the "Song of Relieving Evil". The lyrics of the song are relatively fixed, and there are fewer improvisational singers.