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Paper short abstract

Based on the analysis of flora and fauna motifs featured in a recently discovered 12-text ritual corpus - bya rdang (literally: bird perch) - from the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, the presentation will contribute to documenting and cross-comparing ritual narratives in Southwest China.

Paper long abstract

Two decades ago, approximately 40.000 Tibetan-script folios preserved within private households in the northeastern region of the Tibetan Plateau were discovered and subsequently published in facsimile. As a result, an extensive repository of information concerning the non-Buddhist cosmology, beliefs, and worldview of Tibetans has been made accessible to scholars, offering valuable insights into the earliest ritual landscape and worldview of the Plateau.

Within this extensive collection, there is a 12-text ritual corpus that focuses on the topic of bya rdang (literally: bird perch). The latter is both a ritual craft and a ritual process, which is still practiced by the Baima community in Pingwu County (Sichuan, PRC), as well as other communities in the Sino-Tibetan borderlands.

This presentation will first provide a comprehensive overview of the textual, material, and performative dimensions of bya rdang rituals. Second, it will concentrate on analysing narrative motifs and structures. Specifically, attention will be given to sections concerning the sensory engagement with natural elements, including flora and fauna. Lastly, it will highlight the role of repetition and formulaic narration in defining the stylistic characteristics of these rituals, while also enhancing their semantic depth. The primary objective is to situate bya rdang ritual narratives within the broader context of Southwest China through a cautious comparison with the ritual traditions of other ethno-linguistic groups in the region.