Wood drum dance (wood drum dance of Wa Nationality in Cangyuan)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: wooden drum (wooden drum of Wa Nationality in Cangyuan)

Applicant: Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County, Yunnan Province

Item No.: 128

Project No.: Ⅲ - 25

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Yunnan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County, Yunnan Province

Protection unit: cultural center of Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County

Wood drum (wood drum of Wa Nationality in Cangyuan)

Applicant: Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County, Yunnan Province

Wooden drum dance is a folk dance popular among the Miao, Yi and Wa people in Southwest China, which is performed by beating wooden drum. Its drum shape is mostly to intercept the trunk of the natural growth of trees, hollowing out the internal shape. Generally, wooden drum is a part of the large-scale sacrificial activities participated by all ethnic groups. Wooden drum is regarded as the symbol of ethnic groups. The sacrificial activities with beating and jumping wooden drum as the core are full of strong meanings of ancestor worship and nature worship, and have distinct characteristics of primitive culture.

Cangyuan wa wooden drum dance is distributed in Yanshuai, DanJia, Nuoliang, Menglai, Mengjiao, Banhong and other townships in Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province. At present, there are more than 700 large, medium and small wooden drums in Cangyuan County, and 90% of the people can dance and sing wooden drum songs.

The wood drum dance of the Wa Nationality in Cangyuan is composed of four parts: pulling wood drum, entering wood drum room, beating wood drum and sacrificing wood drum. Every new year's festival celebration, WA people of all ages wear new clothes and dance hand in hand around the wooden drum house under the percussion of wooden drums. They showed their admiration for the drum by bending their knees and bowing their waist. They moved slowly in a circle in a counter clockwise direction, regardless of men, women, old and young. Their movements were mainly shaking hands, walking and stamping feet. In the first beat, the right foot moves forward to the right, with both hands bent to the top of the head and the body tilted back; in the second beat, the left foot steps forward, with both hands tilted behind and the body tilted forward. This cycle is repeated, and the action is standard and stable. Wooden drum dance runs through the whole process of wooden drum sacrificial activities. The dance is accompanied by the leader of the drummer who beats the wooden drum and the people who step on the festival. The lyrics mostly describe the national history, sacrifice, labor production and life. When dancing wood drum, the dancer's hair is flying, the action is bold and wild, showing the Wa People's hard-working and brave character. At present, the wood drum dance of the Wa Nationality in Cangyuan has formed some influential representative works such as "gaogelongmeng", "Shufa dance" and "jialinsai".

Wooden drum is the legendary god of the Wa nationality. It is regarded as the source of national reproduction and the historical and cultural symbol of the Wa nationality. Wood drum dance embodies the achievements and characteristics of Wa folk song and dance, literature, art and religious belief. It not only has high artistic value, but also has certain research value in art, ethnology, folklore and religion. Wood drum dance is the epitome of the folk songs and dances of the Wa nationality. It is the most direct and vivid embodiment of the wa culture. It has been loved by the majority of the Wa people and plays an irreplaceable role in the cohesion of their national spirit.

Chinese PinYin : Mu Gu Wu Cang Yuan Wa Zu Mu Gu Wu