The meaning of totem
Yan Fu pointed out in his comments that totem is a symbol of groups, aiming at distinguishing groups. It is believed that there were totem phenomena similar to those of Australians and Indians in ancient China. Using totem to explain myths, classics and folk customs can often get the same result. So, what is a totem? Totem is a primitive superstition that animals or natural things are related to the clan, so it is used as the emblem or symbol of the clan.
The Yi people living in Daliangshan, Sichuan, where Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces meet, still retain rich and long-standing astronomical knowledge. Today is the Year of the Rat, tomorrow is the Year of the Ox, the Year of the Tiger and the Year of the Pig. In some places, temples of the zodiac are built and annual ceremonies are held to dance the zodiac in a solemn atmosphere.
Mouse totem
? Rats cross the street and everyone shouts? This proverb shows that people generally hate mice. However, many clans and tribes in ancient times believed that their ancestors were mice and were proud of being descendants of mice. They draw and carve the image of mice and make long-term sacrifices in ceremonies or programs to pray for the protection of their ancestors.
white tiger totem
The white tiger clan thinks that their ancestors are male white tigers, and tigers will not hurt them. When you want to travel far, you must choose the day when you belong to the tiger (cloudy day), thinking that only in this way can you do good luck. Some people come back from far away, but also have to calculate the exact date. Only the tiger day will enter the threshold.
Jinhua chicken totem
It is said that their ancestors hatched from the eggs of Golden Flower Chicken, believing that the rooster knows the good and the bad and will bless them. When migrating, put things in a basket with a rooster on it. After arriving in the new area, the rooster will settle down where it crows. In their view, the place where the rooster crows is the most auspicious.
Dragon totem
China's dragon has the basic characteristics of totem and is a totem god worshipped by all ethnic groups. Explain in Shuo Wen Jie Zi:? Dragons, scale insects, can be quiet and bright, big and small, long and short, the vernal equinox reaches the sky, and the autumn equinox goes deep. ? Legend has it that the birth and appearance of Yan Di, Huangdi, Yao, Shun and Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang are all related to dragons, all of which are dragon species and dragon sons. Ancient Vietnamese also thought they were dragons, so they kept tattooing like dragons. To this day, we often say? Descendants of dragons? Or? Descendants of dragons? These are the remnants of the totem ancestor concept. As for the concept of dragon totem god, it is more common, and most ethnic groups once regarded dragon as a protector.
Niututeng
Some Naxi people regard cows as ancient creation beasts. Naxi Dongba Sutra? Genesis describes that this magical cow hatched from a huge egg in the sea. Its horn breaks through the sky, its hoof breaks through the ground, making the earth shake. He was killed by Seven Sisters, the seven brothers who opened the land, and sacrificed to heaven with ox heads, to the land with cowhide, to the land with meat, to bones with stones, to mountains with ribs, to rivers with blood, to the sun with lungs, to the moon with liver, to roads with intestines, to trees with tails, and so on. In this way, there will be a clear and bright sky, the sun and the moon, and a quiet world where everything grows. Since then, cows have been regarded as sacred objects, used to sacrifice and worship the mountains and rivers in the world. Naxi people worship the cow god very much.
Matuteng
The worship of horses is mostly spread among nomadic people and hunters in the north. There is a myth of snow-white among the security guards. Manchu people have the custom of offering sacrifices to horse gods, and there are many records of offering sacrifices to horse gods and building horse temples in Qing literature. What are the names of Daur people? Wen Gu? This kind of god horse is not allowed for women to ride, you can eat it, you can walk around, and no one is allowed to catch it. You can even eat seedlings in the field at will. Most horses are all white, and the whole tail is mane. They have never been trimmed, and colored silk is often tied to the mane as a symbol.
Sheep totem
Sheep totem also occupies an important position in many ethnic groups. The ancient classic Shan Hai Jing describes an ancient immortal sheep with no mouth and no food. Kazakhs worship the goat god, called? Sheikh Sheikh Atta? People think that all the goats in the world belong to it, and it is sacrificed for the reproduction of goats. The worship of the sheep god is called. Sopanata? The sheep who rule the world, pray for this god to bless the sheep to be productive during the sacrifice. Kirgiz people worship goats and call them sheep gods? Chili Panatta? This god was the first to domesticate wild sheep into domestic animals.
Snake totem
The snake is one of the important totems of the ancient Yue people, and later evolved into a god. Wu Zhenfang's Miscellanies of Lingnan in Qing Dynasty said: There is a snake god in Chaozhou House, which looks like a crown south, and there is a snake in the niche. If you want to see it, you must leave the temple before going out, circling around the tripod, hanging on the rafters, or carrying it on a bamboo pole, winding and knotting it, not afraid that people will not become scary, three feet long, green and lovely. Snakes often visit the homes of those who worship God? People in Yixing, Jiangsu Province divide snakes into domestic snakes and wild snakes, which are called? Riemann? And then what? Wyman? . The so-called domestic snake refers to a snake that lives in a house. It is a harmless snake, which often wraps around beams, eaves, cracks in walls, ripples and attics. It is about three feet long. People think that domestic snakes will protect people. With domestic snakes, the rice in the rice shop will be full and not empty.
The totem of monkeys
Huang, the surname of Yao nationality in Nandan County, Guangxi, is said to be a female monkey, whose offspring are all strong. Later, there were ten suns and ten moons in the sky. It was too hot during the day and too bright at night, so people asked Huang's descendants to photograph the sun and the moon in the sky. Later, nine suns and nine moons were shot down. To this end, people are very grateful to the Huang brothers. Because the Huang brothers were born to the monkey mother, people also thank the monkey mother. Later, in order to commemorate the monkey mother, Yao people in Dayaozhai banned not only beating monkeys and eating monkey meat, but also other surnames.