Namuyi kuki li so su hi mugu

ELINVOIMAA NAMUYI-KANSAN
KULTTUURIPERINTÖÖN

NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION

to

Kalle Mattila, Kaarina Sergejeff ja Nadja Nowak, Suomi

Kalle Mattila, Kaarina Sergejeff, and Nadjia Nowak
of Finland

Paikallisen kulttuurin voimistaminen sen omassa ympäristössä oli tavoitteena tilaisuudessa, joka
pidettiin 4. elokuuta 2010 Dashuin kylässä, Liangshanin yi-vähemmistön autonomisen piirin Xichangin
kaupunkikunnassa Sichuanin maakunnassa Kiinassa. Tilaisuudessa esitettiin tarinoita ja lauluja
paikallisella namuyin kielellä. Se on läheistä sukua tiibetille, ja se on pieni ja uhanalainen kielimuoto.
Kulttuurisesti 5 000 hengen namuyi-kansa luokitellaan tavallisesti tiibetiläisiksi.

A cultural revitalization program was held in Dashui Village, Lizhou Township, Xichang City,
Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, PR China 4 August 2010. The goal was to
revitalize local culture in its own context. The material consists of story-telling and singing, all in the
local Namuyi Tibertan language, which is very endangered.

by

Libu Lakhi (Li Jianfu 李建富; Dawa Tenzin )

2 April 2011
 NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT

1. Report author: Libu Lakhi

 Contact: Mr. Li Jianfu 李建富，Room 421, Unit 4, Building No. 1, Kojima Base, Wusi
Xilu Road 35, Xining City 810008, PR China; 810008 青海省西宁市城西区五四西路 35
号小岛基地 1 号楼 4 单元 421
 Phone: 13519764699
 Email: xivizezister@gmail.com

2. Project Location: Dashui Village, Xichang City, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, PR
四川省凉山州西昌市民胜乡大水村
3. Emphasis: Cultural preservation, education, and cultural heritage

4. Project background
Namuyi culture is rapidly vanishing in the face of modernity. Local religious practitioners spend
more time doing field work than in the past, when they would have spent much time treating human
illness and performing various rituals. Increasingly, families send ill family members to local
hospitals, rather than seek treatment from local religious practitioners. Local songs are rarely sung
and stories are unknown to young people since the advent of television in the village and its
immeidate assumption of the role of key entertainer. Traditionally, songs should be sung and dances
danced to entertain guests and when a period of labor, such as field work, has been completed.
During the lunar New Year period and during the Torch Festival, songs and dances were
particularly prominent. Today, however, during these speical times, watching television, gambling,
adn basketball competitions have largely replaced performing singing and dancing.

5. Objectives
 to involve, to create a space for the villagers of Namuyi Tibetan communities to sing and
dance, and to educate in the various aspects of Namuyi culture
 to videotape the songs, stories, and dances during this competition party
 generate DVD data on endangered traditional cultures in a Namuyi Tibetan area that were
heretofore unvailable in digital format, provide 100 copies to local households, make the
material available globally via the Internet Archive
http://www.archive.org/details/NamzinamuyiTibetanCulturalRevitalization
to provide an enduring record of this material freely accesible to anyone, and to illustrate
issues affecting local minority communities in terms of cultural preservation
 raise awareness of the vlaue of cultural preservation among Namuyi Tibetans

6. Organization
Libu Lakhi organized villagers to participate in this project activity by telephoning and talking to
villagers, chose and organized a team of five people to act as judges, filmed and later edited the
proceedings, and distributed DVDs to local families, who were very pleased to see themselves
performing on TV. More importantly, children can learn songs and stories from the DVD later.

7. Beneficiaries
Namuyi Tibetans today and tomorrow and scholars are the beneficiaries.
 NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
PHOTOGRAPHS

Photo 1: Libu Shebur (left), a farmer from Dashui Village:

Many people don’t know songs and stories now, especially, the young people. Young people go
outside to work to earn money doing construction work and young children spend their times in school,
only come home at weekend. Not many people are interested in sing and dancing anymore when
guests come in the village. Organize such party for people to gather together and sing is very good.

Photo 2: Qijin (right) a farmer from Dashui Village:

Every you come back to home, we are so happy because you encourage people to gather together to
dance and sing together. I hope you can come home and organize such activities every year.

Photo 3: Ndzexue of Dashui Village works in a restaurant in Xichang City:

I like to sing and dance, but there is no space and time to do so in the city. I only worry about making
money. Today, I sang and danced with all the relatives and felt the warmth of being home. It’s great
that our Finnish friends made it possibe for us to sing and that we could receive some reward as well. I
am very happy!

Photo 4: Libu Shebur told a story the day after the cultural revitalization event when Vazha asked
him to.
Photo 5: Libu Lakhi prepares to video.
Photo 6: Co-organizer, Buho, introduces the rules of judging songs and stories.
Photo 7: The five judge committee with the party announcer (left).
Photo 8: Villagers dance after the flute player.
Photo 9: Villagers dance.
Photo 10: Having drinks during the party.
Photo 11: Villagers sing shalager 'mountain songs' in men and women groups.
Photo 12: Villager Chunxu sings madami.
Photo 13: Libu Lakhi gives rewards provided by our Finnish friends to the villagers.
Photo 14: Villagers have dinner in the evening after the party.
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
8. Problems Faced
 Some local people were unaware of the importance of cultural preservation, especially,
young children who are attending schools. The young children were not very willing to
participate in the singing and dancing. Some neighboring villagers did not join the activity,

9. Lessons Learned
 Building awareness of the importance of cultural preservation is a long term effort.

10. Recommendations
 Continuing this project for several years would lead to its sustainability; locals would in
time understand its value.

11. Financial Summary

 Total project budget: 6,350 RMB
 Actual project cost: 6,350 RMB
 Local contribution:
o Libu Lakhi donated his time as manager, organizer, cameraman, video editor,
and so on.
o Kevin Stuart lent his video camera.
o Many local villagers gave their time and energy to make the event a success, e.g.,
helped cook.
 NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
Financial Report

Total received: 6,350 RMB

Total expenditure: 6,350 RMB
Balance: 0
Detailed Expenses Report
Amount/ Sub-total/
Description #
RMB RMB
Organization 2,650
Drinks and candies fee for the party 1,550 1
Gift for the party co-manager 100 2
Gift for the five people judging the songs and stories 500 3
Song Competition 3,100
st
Reward for the 1 singer 700 4
Reward for the 2nd singers (two people) 1,000 5
Reward for the 3rd singers (3 people) 900 6
Encouragement reward for five people 500 7
Story Competition 1,100
st
Reward for the 1 storyteller 500 8
Reward for the 2nd storyteller 600 9
Total: 6,350 RMB
 NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
Receipt # 1

Receipt # 2

Receipt # 3
 NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
Receipt # 4

Receipt # 5

Receipt # 6
 NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
Receipt # 7

Receipt # 8

Receipt # 9
 NAMUYI TIBETAN CULTURAL REVITALIZATION PROJECT
INITIAL PROPOSAL

NUMUYI TIBETAN SONG AND STORY COMPETITIONS IN DASHUI VILLAGE

What? Namuyi Tibetan Cultural Revitalization

When? 5 August 2010
Where? Dashui Village, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, PR China
Who? Namuyi in Dashui and neighboring Shaba, Xiangshui and Xinshen Communities
Cost? 6,350RMB

The Project
Namuyi Tibetan culture with its own distinctive and precious store of human knowledge is
vanishing at an accelerating speed, as is common worldwide in the face of modernity. The objective
of this project is to make Namuyi villagers aware of the value of their culture by offering prizes to
those who sing and tell stories well. This will encourage more parents to teach their children songs
and stories, and to encourage children to request such songs and stories and thus slow down the
speed of culture loss.
The project site will be in Dashui Village in Xichang but all villagers from Xinshen, and
Xiangshui in Xichang and Shaba in Mianning may attend and participate in daytime singing and
nighttime storytelling competition. I chose August fifth, the day after the Torch Festival, because
traditionally this an acitity when Namuyi gather—they return home. Traditionally stories were told
at night, the reason for the time of the storytelling event.
Five local villagers will be selected to the singing and storytelling.

Budget
Song Competition
rank Amount RMB Number Sub total
st
1 700 1 700
2nd 500 2 1,000
3rd 300 3 900
encouragement 100 5 500
drinks and candies 600 600
3,700
Night Time Children’s Story Telling Competition
Rank Amount RMB Number Subtotal
1st 500 1 500
nd
2 300 2 600
3rd 100 3 300
encouragement 50 5 250
judge 100 (gift) 5 500
party manager 100 (gift) 1 100
drinks and candies 400 400
2,650
Total: 6,350RMB