美国国会图书馆馆藏瑶族“过山榜”的形制特征

The Shape and Structure of the Library of Congress' Yao“Cross-Mountain Manuscripts”

"过山榜"是瑶族民间广泛流传的过山文书之总称,多保存于不同地域的瑶人手中,被视为瑶族"族谱"和传家之宝,一般秘不示人。其内容亦真亦幻,涉及瑶族的起源、图腾崇拜、姓氏由来、祖先迁徙、瑶汉关系以及有关民族权益的内容,是信奉盘王为始祖的瑶族人民世代流传和珍藏的记载本民族历史记忆的重要文献。从美国国会图书馆馆藏四件"过山榜"的款识与书写方式、材质与装帧、绘画、印鉴、署名等形制特征看,它们属于卷轴类正本(古本)型版本,原件应出自广西临桂、龙胜一带瑶人所藏古代样本,随瑶族向南迁徙的足迹,被带到云南金平一带,并由此流向境外的老挝与泰国。在云南、老挝边境地带,它们又被定居在那里的人们或手工作坊抄绘、复制,卖给需要的瑶人使用,或为迁徙到东南亚的瑶人中能认读汉字老人的后裔,"依古誊抄",流传下来。

The ＂Cross-Mountain Manuscript＂ is the common name for Yao people＇s cross-mountain documents. Often secretly kept by Yao people in different regions, it is regarded as genealogy and family treasure. The content is mysterious, involving Yao people＇s origin, totem worship, family trees, ancestral migration, relationship with Han people, as well as ethnic rights. It is an important literature and historical memory of Yao people who believe in the ancestry of King Pan. Based on the shape and structure of the four manuscripts collected by the Library of Congress, such as their writing style, material, binding, painting, seal, signature, etc., it is believed that they share the same origin as the scroll manuscripts （ancient manuscripts） found in Lingui and Longsheng of Guangxi Province. They were taken along with Yao people＇s migration southward to Jinping, Yunan Province, Laos and Thailand. In the border area of Yunnan and Laos, they were hand-painted, reproduced and sold to Yao descendants who were able to read and write Chinese characters in Southeast Asia.