Description
Book SynopsisOpen-access edition: DOI 10.6069/9780295745701The Nuosu people, who were once overlords of vast tracts of farmland and forest in the uplands of southern Sichuan and neighboring provinces, are the largest division of the Yi ethnic group in southwest China. Their creation epic plots the origins of the cosmos, the sky and earth, and the living beings of land and water. This translation is a rare example in English of Indigenous ethnic literature from China. Transmitted in oral and written forms for centuries among the Nuosu, The Book of Origins is performed by bimo priests and other tradition-bearers. Poetic in form, the narrative provides insights into how a clan- and caste-based society organizes itself, dictates ethics, relates to other ethnic groups, and adapts to a harsh environment. A comprehensive introduction to the translation describes the land and people, summarizes the work's themes, and discusses the significance of The Book of Origins for the understanding of folk epics, e
Trade Review"The two scholars are perfect collaborators. Between them, they found a rare version of the epic written in the Yi script, produced an accurate translation, and added to it a comprehensive and insightful introductory treatise to Yi culture."
* Journal of Folklore Research *
"[A]n outstanding success...will undoubtedly be an essential primary source for scholars of Yi studies."
* Bulletin of SOAS *
"[R]emarkable book...presents a world apart from “Western” worldviews but at the same time inspires the readers to reflect on and understand other worldviews and to scrutinize our own."
* China Review International *
"Poetic in form, the narrative provides insights into how a clan- and caste-based society organizesitself, dictates ethics, relates to other ethnic groups, and adapts to a harsh environment."
* New Books Network (NBN) *
