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| Folk Customs
- She Nationality > Ancient Totem Tales |
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An
example of the vertical type of She ancestral picture
relating the life and exploits of Panhu.
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I paid visits to various counties in eastern
Fujian inhabited mostly by the She people, hoping to learn more
about their mythical ancestors. In a local cultural centre in
Ningde, I was very fortunate to see some photos of the She ancestral
pictures. These were quite similar to comic strips in form and
were linked together either vertically or horizontally, some
as much as 30 metres long. Altogether consisting of more than
100 such pieces, they meticulously told the She people's tales
of Panhu.
Legend has it that Panhu was a kind of animal similar to a dog
or a unicorn which evolved from a golden worm. Later he married
a princess and lived a very happy life, producing three sons
and a daughter. The eldest son's name was
Pan, the second's Lan, and the third's Lei.
Panhu's son-in-law's name was Zhong. These four men are said
to be the earliest ancestors of the She nationality.
Some specialists are of the opinion
that Panhu's father-in-law, Emperor Gaoxin, was one of the ancient
tribal leaders, and that the She people are descended from the
Dongyi people of olden times who originally lived in the area
of present-day Henan. To escape persecution by the rulers of
successive dynasties, especially after a massacre which almost
wiped out the whole tribe under the Ming in the 14th century,
they gradually migrated to the five provinces of the south,
namely Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui, Guangdong and Jiangxi. |
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