Tiger Culture Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Shuangbai County, Chuxiong

Chinese Name:双柏县彝族虎文化节
English Name: Tiger Culture Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Shuangbai County, Chuxiong

The Tiger Culture Festival, also known as the “Tiger Dance Festival,” is a traditional celebration of the Yi people in Shuangbai County, located in Chuxiong Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Known for its stunning landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and simple yet vibrant way of life, Shuangbai County is home to this annual festival, held from the eighth to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Origin of the Festival

Since 2007, the People’s Government of Shuangbai County has been organizing the “China Shuangbai Yi Tiger Culture Festival” to promote ethnic culture, raise awareness of the Yi people’s tiger culture, and boost the county’s visibility. This festival has since elevated the status of this ancient Yi tradition, attracting both domestic and international attention.

The Yi people revere the tiger, considering themselves as the “Tiger Nation” and descendants of tigers. They believe that all things in the world originate from a tiger’s body after its death. The tiger’s head became the heavens, its tail the earth, its skin the land, its blood the rivers and lakes, its left eye the sun, and its right eye the moon. The tiger’s fur became forests and grass, its muscles fertile soil, and its bones the mountains. The tiger god is the deity of all things and the common ancestor of the Yi people. The “Tiger Dance Festival” is a time for the Yi people to invite the spirit of their tiger ancestor to join them in celebrating the New Year.

Festival Activities

During the Tiger Culture Festival, the Yi people showcase the ancient and mysterious “Tiger Worship” ceremony and the “Three Sheng” culture (Tiger Sheng, Large Gong Sheng, and Leopard Sheng). Performers wear cloaks painted with tiger stripes and have their faces, feet, and hands decorated with tiger patterns, transforming into tigers. Led by the “Black Tiger,” they perform dances that mimic various aspects of production, daily life, and reproduction. The festival also features traditional Yunnan delicacies, the “Long Street Banquet” of the tiger village, a thousand-person Sheng dance carnival, the Central Yunnan Top Spinning King competition, the ethnic singing competition, and local specialty product trade fairs.

Basic Introduction

During the traditional “Tiger Festival,” held from the eighth to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the people of Xiaomaidichong village in Shuangbai County, belonging to the Luolopu branch of the Yi ethnic group, recite the following chant when the tiger performers enter their homes to drive away evil and bring wealth:
“Let the tiger play, let it play in front of every door. Good things, come inside; bad things, go outside. Gold and silver treasures, come inside; a bountiful harvest, come inside. Livestock prosperity, come inside; disasters and calamities, go outside.”

The Luolopu branch, one of the many branches of the Yi people, refers to themselves as “A Luo.” Over 200,000 people of this branch live in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. In the Yi language, “Luoluo” means tiger or bravery, while “Pu” means people or tribe. Thus, “Luolopu” translates to “Tiger Tribe” or “Tiger People,” who believe themselves to be the descendants of tigers. The tiger has brought them a blessed and prosperous life, and as a result, they have preserved the custom of performing the tiger dance every year in the first lunar month. This has become one of the most significant festivals for the Yi people in Xiaomaidichong village. Experts consider the tiger dance a remnant of the ancient Yi tiger totem, a living fossil of ancient Yi culture, and it is now listed as an intangible cultural heritage. The festival has garnered increasing attention from anthropologists and folklorists both domestically and abroad.

Origin

As mentioned, “Luoluo” in the Yi language means tiger or bravery, while “Pu” refers to people or tribe. The Luolopu people believe themselves to be descendants of tigers. The tiger has brought them blessings and happiness, and the tiger dance has become a significant tradition, celebrated as one of the most important festivals in Xiaomaidichong village.

Customs and Activities

Every year, from the eighth to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Yi people of Xiaomaidichong village in Shuangbai County celebrate with a series of activities. The most famous of these are the 12 sets of tiger dances that mimic the behavior of tigers and a series of dance movements that depict labor and production.

Significance and Impact

As a remnant of primitive culture, the Yi people’s “Tiger Dance Festival” is a totemic dance that holds rich cultural significance. It provides valuable insights and information for the study of ethnology, folklore, religious studies, and totemism. The “Tiger Dance Festival” is a ritualistic dance that embodies the tiger totem worship still preserved today. The dance imitates the production, life, and reproduction of early humans, serving as a form of ancestor worship and reflecting the Yi people’s simple cosmic view centered around the tiger.