毕摩文化在彝族史学中的地位和作用

On the Position and Function of Bimo Culture in the History of Yi Nationality

初步分析了彝族毕摩文化的发展阶段及其主要内容载体,探讨了彝族毕摩文化中的彝族史学。认为彝族毕摩文化为研究彝族历史的断代提供了重要的文献依据,为研究整个彝族历史不同阶段的提供了详实的史料,也填补了古代彝族天文历法、生产工具的铸造及农业、手工也、医药卫生等自然科学的研究空白,以及研究古代彝族社会政治体制和西南民族关系,特别是彝语支民族关系的分流发展情况提供了必要的资料,指出了彝族毕摩文化对研究彝族历史文化带来的诸多缺陷和不足之处。

Bimo culture is the traditional culture of Yi people.It is generally handed down and spread by Bimo,the native ritual practitioner whose duty is to take charge of Yi’s traditional folk conventions and religious activity.In Yi’s traditional culture,Suozhai(suni)mainly takes care of sacrifice-offering,praying,assisting,guiding and calling back the soul of the dead,while Bimo is in charge of chanting Yi’s recorded texts in offering a sacrifice to ancestors,guiding road for the dead,practicing magic,curing the sickness and so on.Being the major carrier of Yi’s traditional culture,Bimo culture developed from Suozhai(suni)culture,a representative of native religious culture derived from prehistoric age.Bimo culture is a synthetical agent of Yi’s oral culture and written scriptures.This essay preliminary analyses the developmental periods,principal substance of Bimo culture,and Yi’s historical science.The author thinks that Bimo culture not only provides important literate evidence for different periods in Yi’s history,fills in the natural science gaps,concerning astronomy and calendar,tools of production,agriculture,handicraft,and medical science,but also offers valuable data for Yi’s ancient social and political system,ethnic relationship,in particular,between ethnic groups of Yi language family.The author,in conclusion,points out some of the drawbacks and insufficiencies emerged from behind Bimo culture.