On the Recitation of Pan Wang Songs during "Huanjiayuan" Initiation Rites among the Guoshan Yao of Lanshan, Hunan Province. (English)

This research focuses on the recitation of songs about the Yao ... mythic ancestor Pan Wang ..., which are performed during "Huanjiayuan ..." Initiation Rites among the Guoshan Yao ... of Lanshan ..., Hunan Province. The data collected strongly suggests that the practices and documents employed during these ceremonies are integral for grasping the essence of Yao ritual knowledge. My research aims at clarifying the overarching theme underlining the "Huanjiayuan" initiation, through which a person's ordination name would be written down in the household genealogy (jiaxiandan ...), allowing him/her to be worshipped as an ancestor after departing this world. The first part of the paper lays out the entire ritual program that involves the recitation of Pan Wang songs, with the discussion centering on how the Pan Wang legend has shaped these rites. In particular, the ritual singing which commences in Q & A form exemplifies why the ritual needs to be held. The paper's second section confirms that the myth of "Crossing the Ocean" (in which the Pan Wang saved the Yao after they made vows to offer sacrifices to him) is indeed a recurring theme in the ritual. Accordingly, the ritual not only honors the vow that the Yao made to Pan Wang, but also re-affirms the relationship the Yao have with their ancestors. The final portion of the paper reveals that the performance of the first half of the "Huanjiayuan" initiation may vary according to individual vows different surname groups made with Pan Wang, but the performance of the second half invariably represents the myth of "Crossing the Ocean". Last but not least, the overarching theme of "honoring the vow to Pan Wang" as represented by the "Huanjiayuan" initiation is positively intertwined with other Yao ritual performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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