Building the dengbêj ‘tradition’ . . . must also be considered in a wider context. Interest in memory is rapidly spreading in contemporary Turkey and is helping people explore personal and collective histories. These memories are also — within certain limits — fostered by official narratives that ‘rediscover,’ for instance, an Ottoman and multicultural past. … Continue reading Kurdish Dengbêjî and the ‘Nostalgia Industry’
Category: Altaic Peoples & Tales (阿尔泰各民族及其故事)
Kurdish Storytellers Congregate in Southeastern Turkey’s Diyarbakır
In Few Dengbejs Remain to Sing Kurdish Stories, Mat Nashed reports from Turkey’s Diyarbakır on the “House of Dengbej,” established to provide a venue for performances by traditional Kurdish storytellers: “We sing stories of love and war,” [Mehmet] Ince told Al-Monitor while lighting a cigarette in the house of the dengbej. “We express our history through … Continue reading Kurdish Storytellers Congregate in Southeastern Turkey’s Diyarbakır
Mongolian Shaman Songs of Praise Rendered in Chinese
Two poets have collaborated to publish a book containing 29 renditions of songs of praise traditionally chanted by shaman. The original odes in Mongolian were first translated into Mandarin by Mongolian scholar Ni Ma (尼玛), and then polished by Xi Murong (席慕蓉), who also knows Mongolian but was educated in Taiwan. The book is published … Continue reading Mongolian Shaman Songs of Praise Rendered in Chinese
Profile of Octogenarian Orochen: Folk Song Singer, Folk Tale and Dictionary Compiler
Among one of the first batches of young Orochen (鄂伦春) chosen to receive a formal Chinese-language education in Zhalantun in 1948, E’erdenggua (额尔登挂) was just 17 at the time. She had never been outside her village on the banks of Chuo’er River (绰尔河畔) in Inner Mongolia, and didn’t speak a word of Chinese. Now 84, … Continue reading Profile of Octogenarian Orochen: Folk Song Singer, Folk Tale and Dictionary Compiler
Inner Mongolian Artists Speak Up as Mining and Logging Encroach on Traditional Grazing Lands
Protests over land have occurred in several herding communities in Inner Mongolia during May and early June, according to RFA (Grassland Protests Spread). Ethnic Mongolian herders say access to traditional grazing land is increasingly being curtailed or permanently denied in favor of mining and logging projects, or highway construction. Inadequate or total lack of compensation … Continue reading Inner Mongolian Artists Speak Up as Mining and Logging Encroach on Traditional Grazing Lands
Interrupted Traditions of “Altishahr,” Oasis Towns Ringing the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang
In Wall Street Journal’s interview with Rian Thum, author of The Sacred Routes of Uyghur History, we learn that a century ago Uyghur in the Altishahr region (lit. “six cities”) traditionally visited shrines where the history of a local Islamic saint was read out loud to visitors. Question posed by Wall Street Journal is bolded, … Continue reading Interrupted Traditions of “Altishahr,” Oasis Towns Ringing the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang
“Last Quarter of the Moon”: Evenki Place Names behind the Hànzì
I grew up in places with names like "Winnetka" and "Sewickley," spellings no doubt based on mangled transliterations of old, even ancient Native American words. I vaguely recall that Sewickley meant "sweet water," but no one seemed sure. How many cities, mountains and rivers in China, I wondered, hide their non-Han origins? Evenki Mountain Name … Continue reading “Last Quarter of the Moon”: Evenki Place Names behind the Hànzì
“Hegemonic Mindset” Hampering Recognition of Manchu Contribution to China’s Literature
Once in a blue moon I come across a well-argued scholarly essay which openly criticizes mainstream thinking about ethnic literature in New China. 不在场的在场：中国少数民族文学的处境 (Presence of Absence: Situation of China’s Ethnic Minority Language Literature) by Li Xiaofeng (李晓峰) is an outstanding example. He cites the words of author He Qifang (何其芳), and adds that precious little has … Continue reading “Hegemonic Mindset” Hampering Recognition of Manchu Contribution to China’s Literature
Qing Dynasty Translations of Han Classics into Various Languages of China
The four classics of Chinese vernacular literature during the Ming and Qing Dynasties — Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber — were all more or less fully translated into Manchu under the Qing, writes Yiming Abula (伊明·阿布拉) in Minority Translators Journal (民族翻译). Translations into … Continue reading Qing Dynasty Translations of Han Classics into Various Languages of China
By the Numbers: Non-Han “Literary Families” during the Qing
In much the same way as modern gender studies have exploded the myth that great writers throughout human history were necessarily male, contemporary research into literary production by non-Han authors is slowly lifting the veil on their role in China’s pre-20th-century literary life. In a recent piece on the current state of research into so-called … Continue reading By the Numbers: Non-Han “Literary Families” during the Qing
Altaic Storytelling 