The Jiarong Tibetans generally refer to those living in parts of Danba County and Kangding County in Garze Prefecture, Jinchuan, Xiaojin, Markang, Lixian, Heishui, Hongyuan and Wenchuan in Aba Prefecture, as well as Ya'an City There are Jiarong Tibetans who live in Jiarong, Liangshan Prefecture and other places, speak Jiarong language, and focus on agricultural production. Tibetan areas call the Tibetans in this area "Rongba" (people from agricultural areas). Jiarong is the abbreviation of "Gyalmo Chavarong" or "Maqu Shibei Gyalmo Mordo Chavarong" in Tibetan. "Maqu ten Bergamo" means the majestic goddess Tara, "Merdo" means "mysterious meteorite", "Chavarong" is a tropical agricultural area, and the full meaning is: living in the holy mountain of Moldo People from tropical areas.
Anyone who visits the Jinchuan and Minjiang river basins in northwest Sichuan will feel that they are in a magical world as soon as they set foot on this plateau land: the rivers are like Hada winding in the mountains, The holy snow-capped mountains are illusory and blurry, the colorful prayer flags are swaying in the wind, the majestic tower houses stand quietly in the village or in the mountains, and the eye-catching patterns on the walls are fascinating.
Patterns are an important part of Tibetan culture, among which the patterns on the walls of the Jiarong Mountain Village are unique.
Jiarong people live in the mountains. In order to resist the severe cold in winter, the heat in summer and various beasts, they have lived in stone tower houses for generations. The watchtowers are made of stone and wood, with a rectangular flat roof and a trapezoidal body. The tall ones have more than ten stories, and the short ones have five or six stories. There are prayer flags on the roof, a fumigation (simmering mulberry) tower, and white curtains are hung on the eaves, doors and windows; white stones are placed on the lintels, window lattice, and four corners of the roof. The four walls of the blockhouse are painted with lime, the windows are also surrounded by white borders, and there are patterns painted on the walls. These patterns are not painted randomly, but have their own special meaning and function. They are the values ????and aesthetics formed by the Jiarong people in the long historical development process. They represent the pursuit and wishes of the house owners and reflect the Jiarong Tibetan culture itself. Features.
The patterns on the walls of the village have religious meanings, such as the Vajra Knot, the Victory Umbrella and other Tibetan Buddhist Eight Auspicious Pictures, which are symbols of auspiciousness, peace and happiness advocated by the Tibetan people; such as the Tantric Vajra Prong, which is a A very powerful magical weapon, which means strong, sharp, and capable of destroying everything. Demons and ghosts are awed by this object. It shows that the owner of the house hopes that his residence will be like a diamond, unbreakable and able to withstand disasters and dangers; such as the "swastika" pattern, which is a hidden symbol. The most representative symbol of Buddhism, meaning sun and flame, is said to be one of the thirty-two phases of Sakyamuni. The Bon religion also has this symbol, but the rotation direction is the opposite, that is, "swastika", which represents eternity, solidity, and infinity. Folks refer to prosperity, prosperity, and auspiciousness. If there is such a pattern painted on the wall of a house, this family must believe in it. Bon religion. Jiarong Tibetan people have historically been popular in the primitive Bon religion, which worships all things in the world and believes that all things have spirits: nature, natural phenomena, animals and plants, everything that can be seen or even invisible.
The patterns on the walls of the village are related to totems. The white patterns painted on the four walls and door and window frames look like deformed bull head patterns if you look closely. Some of them are directly mounted on the walls when building a house. Legend has it that the ancestors of the Jiarong Tibetans came from the yak tribe. They admired the color white, so that white yak, white horse, white quartz, right-handed white conch, white pagoda, etc. are all mascots and are worshiped as totems. From its connotation, white is a symbol of snow-capped mountains, which are gods, crystal clear, holy, mysterious and awe-inspiring.
The Jiarong people believe that such wall patterns can summon Buddha’s light and aura, drive away ghosts and evil spirits, eliminate disasters and bring blessings, and protect living beings. These exquisite patterns beautify their lives and turn the tower houses into exquisite art galleries.
The pattern of the village wall is rich in connotation, reflecting the style of Jiarong Tibetan culture. As an ashlar of Tibetan culture, it is constantly absorbing and integrating. The Tibetan people emphasize the human heart, pay attention to personal introspection, and get rid of all suffering through practice to achieve a peaceful, joyful and beautiful state. As times change and interactions with the outside world become more frequent, they are also changing. Its religious beliefs, customs, singing and dancing arts, clothing, food, housing and transportation and other cultural factors are also blending with the cultures of other ethnic groups and other regions, and are changing subtly, and the wall patterns have also gained new content.
For example, five-pointed stars, the word "囍", the word "福", and the word "富" are also painted on the wall as auspicious patterns, showing that they pursue bright beauty, happiness, and material abundance. They also reflect the living conditions and life of the owner of the house. Survival psychology.
Every year in late autumn and early winter, it is the season for every family to paint their village walls. Every household invites lamas to read sutras and read feng shui, and the lamas propose patterns that should be painted based on the calculated results. The owner of the house smoked mulberry smoke and prayed, erected prayer flags beside the house and painted with lime. At this time, the cottage is really brand new, full of beauty and hope.
Photography: Pole Boat Written by: Tibetan Sunshine
Photos by Tonkeg'S Story Editor: His Story