The Yi witch Suni was born in the primitive matriarchal era, and the Suni dance, a dance in his witchcraft, also came into being. Some published books believe that Suni was born later than the Yi Bimo, not too long ago. It was a person who had a mental illness and could not be cured for a long time. Among his deceased ancestors, there was a Suni. He believed that the god "Asa" was possessed, so "the Bimo was asked to offer sacrifices to the god "Asa" and give him a sheepskin drum. He recovered from the illness and it has been passed down." "The earliest legend of the Black Yi Suye (note: 'ye', that is, 'ni') is that the bottom wood carving of Zhaojue bamboo core should not be dated to the early Ming Dynasty." According to this, the history of Liangshan Yi Suni dance is not too long. However, since "there was a Suni among the ancestors", and its ritual instrument sheepskin drum existed long before the bottom wood carving, not to mention that legends cannot replace historical facts. Therefore, its history should be traced back. Some scholars believe that "Bimo is directly derived from the ancient Suni (shaman). Suni was first born in the matriarchal society." "The ancient Suni and the later Bimo are connected" (quoted from "Bimo Culture Theory", page 28, published by Yunnan People's Publishing House in June 1993). Another person who said the same thing said: "Bimo originated in the late primitive society of the Yi people, the patriarchal clan commune era, and is the product of the Yi people's primitive religion developing to a more complete stage" (page 3 of the same 1). The ancient Yi book "Hunting Sacrifice Sutra" records that the priests of the Yi people's matriarchal hunting sacrifice were female "Mu"; the Yi book "Leji Abo Re" (translated by the Compilation Office of the Central University for Nationalities) said: Legend has it that Suni evolved from the dance teacher of the chieftain. According to the above discussion, and in connection with the historical background of the "Asa (also known as "Asa") possessed by Suni, which is the product of primitive belief in nature worship and ghost worship, Suni and its sacrificial dance should have originated in the matriarchal era. [Distribution area] The Yi Suni dance is distributed throughout Butuo and Yi townships and villages in other counties in the state. Butuo is the center and representative. In Butuo County, it is distributed in 27 townships, 3 towns and 190 administrative villages in the county. [Basic content] The content of the Yi Suni dance mainly includes four aspects: 1. Suni's ritual tools and functions Suni is a wizard, who is illiterate, cannot write, has no classics, is not hereditary, and is mostly male, but there are also women (called "Mo Ni"). The main ritual tool is a sheepskin drum (called "Ge Ze" in Yi language). It is round, with sheepskin stretched on both sides, and filled with huanzi (a kind of plant hard rice); it is tied to a wooden handle with a rope (called "Ze Mo" ", with 3 copper bells (called "Zhezhu") tied to the handle; 1 curved drumstick (called "Zaidudu"). The main function of Suni is to "dance to exorcise ghosts and cure diseases" for people, and sometimes also do divination and summon souls. 2. The ritual process determines that the sacrifice for exorcism is a chicken, pig or sheep. When performing the ritual, Suni makes several straw men and ties them to the patient's neck (red thread for men and blue thread for women). Lead the spare sacrifice, walk around the patient, and the patient blows into the livestock to show that the disease has spread to the livestock. Suni then begins to chant and perform the ritual. After the ritual is over, the sacrifice is killed, the five internal organs are taken to check where the disease is, and the ritual is chanted again. Finally, the thread tied to the patient is cut off, tied to the head of the straw man, and sent to the outdoor deserted mountain, and the exorcism ritual is completed. 3. Suni dance and its artistic performance At the beginning of the ritual, Suni sits cross-legged on the upper position of the fire pit (called "Galaji" in Yi language, and each ritual process is like this) , holding the drum handle with the left hand and the drumstick with the right hand, chanting and beating the drum, and making some movements, this is called "Zhe Yu Zhe Ge". When reciting the words, the drum surface is often placed close to the face, and the drum is gently beaten, accompanied by faint drum and bell sounds. The hymns are rich, expressed in the form of chanting, reciting, and singing, with varied tones. When the sitting chanting (singing) process reaches a certain time, the "Asha" and various gods invited are all present, and Suni is ready to dance, shaking his legs slightly, then shaking his whole body, then slowly standing up, walking slowly into the room, gradually entering the heat, shaking his whole body, continuously shaking his head, shoulders, and hips to the left and right, and the shaking becomes more intense; walking, swaying, turning, jumping and stepping with both feet left and right, and half squatting with his legs outward on the spot; facing the crowd, holding the drum with both hands to the chest, shoulders, back, head, and hips, shaking violently; then using the left foot as the center of gravity and the right limb as the power to rotate to the right , lasting 10-20 minutes, with hundreds of circles. Then, sometimes they bend their waists and stretch their hands to hold the drum and turn it, sometimes they turn the drum on their wrists; sometimes they put the drum on their backs and move it to their left and right shoulders; sometimes they put a wooden bowl of white wine on their heads and turn it; sometimes they jump wildly; sometimes they jump. While dancing, they also say words such as "goats climbing rocks". Through a variety of movements, postures and expressions, with a variety of dance forms and images, and a variety of performances, they lead people into a mysterious and ghostly artistic conception. The dance is rhythmic, orderly, emotional, and has a "soul". 4. Suni dance and its comprehensive art The performance of Suni dance is a combination of costumes, accessories, props, and shapes, among which the main ones are: music (singing, percussion), poetry (odes, spells), that is, the "three unities" of primitive art; in addition, there are acrobatics, magic, stunts, etc. evolved from witchcraft. The lyrics of Suni involve astronomy, geography, mountains, rivers, history, myths, legends, customs and rituals, famous sayings, Erbilji (maxims and proverbs), etc. The lyrics are composed of five, seven and nine words. The language is vivid, logical, imaginative and harmonious. With the accompaniment of sheepskin drums, the rhythm is sometimes slow and sometimes fast, sometimes sparse and sometimes dense, and the upsurge is like a sudden rain and thunder, which is shocking. In the ritual, Suni also performs some difficult and thrilling movements like acrobatics, such as: dancing with fire sticks, torches and fire chains naked; holding a whole sheep on the head and rolling around; fishing eggs and taking things from boiling water and boiling oil; blowing flames from the mouth and licking red-hot iron plows with the tongue. [Basic characteristics] The characteristics of Yi Suni dance are the functions of witchcraft and the characteristics of primitive culture. Liangshan Yi Suni belongs to the category of primitive religion. The Suni possessed god "Asa" is considered to be a "good god" transformed from a human soul. It can bless people and help the Suni exorcise the "evil ghosts" transformed from bad souls. In addition to inviting "Asa", the Suni also invites the gods of eagles, tigers, bears, and rivers to perform rituals together. This shows that its characteristics of nature worship and ghost worship are primitive beliefs and primitive religions. It is a spiritual life reflection of the economy and material needs of ancient society, and a social consciousness and social and cultural phenomenon. Therefore, the Suni culture, especially the dance form as a performance method, cannot be completely rejected and denied as witchcraft, superstition, backwardness, and reaction. It is true that after entering the class society, religion was used by the rulers, and later, especially after it became a man-made religion, it was like Marx's "opium" that poisoned people. However, the Suni of the Liangshan Yi people are considered to have a much lower social status than the "Bimo" of the original ruling class, the Zi, Mo, and Bi. The functions and activities of the Suni, especially the "Ni", still retain the characteristics and functions of the primitive witch culture. In real life, the masses ask the Suni to perform a cure for illness, and the remuneration is much less than that of the Bimo. From this point of view, the Bimo belongs to the upper class, while the Suni belongs to the common people. Its "Ni", especially dance, is welcomed by the masses (common people), which is not only the attraction of primitive culture, but also has the characteristics of popularization. The second is the mixture of art and witchcraft, that is, the characteristics of entertaining gods and people, "Witches can sing and dance", "Drums can communicate with gods", which are the mottos of witches. There are two means of primitive sacrifice: one is material sacrifice, killing animals to offer to gods; the other is spiritual offering, using artistic means (mainly singing and dancing) to entertain gods. In the process of their emergence and development, primitive religion and art influenced and acted on each other. There was no origin relationship between the two, but they were homologous, isomorphic and synchronous. Witchcraft and sacrifice were mixed, and sacrifice witchcraft and art were mixed. They entertained both gods and people. The two were integrated and interdependent. The reason why Suni used superb and complex dance and music (drumming and singing) methods was as follows: "First, it was through witchcraft behavior and expelling diseases in a state of ecstasy. The main means he used were dance and rhythmic singing, which played a special and incomparable role in witchcraft and sacrificial activities" (Sachs, "Comparative Musicology and the Music of Exotic Cultures"), and this was true for all ages, both at home and abroad. The "form" of Liangshan Yi Suni dance is to exorcise evil spirits and entertain gods, while the "substance" highlights the purpose and role of entertaining people, especially in those acrobatics and stunts that are almost independent of the ritual itself. Rather than saying it is for gods to see, it is better to say it is for people to see, and the effect of entertaining people is stronger. The third is the characteristics of high skills and artistry, and strong appreciation. In order to show the power of inviting gods and exorcising ghosts, it is also to stimulate the attraction of customers and spectators; in turn, it also inspires dancers to work hard in skills, techniques, and skills, improve their skills, and show their magic skills and magic power, so as to raise their status. This promotes the Suni dance to continuously innovate in terms of dance posture, artistic modeling and performance level, and everyone has their own strengths and can show their abilities. This trend has its inherent requirements. As the "Complete Book of Music and Rhythm" says: "The beauty of music and dance lies in the advancement, retreat, bending and stretching, separation and combination, and transformation. If it is not abnormal, the dance will not be magical. It is difficult to move ghosts and gods without being magical!" The Yi Suni also knows its mystery. Therefore, the Suni dance has achieved a high level of skill, artistry and performance level. Its advantages and characteristics stand out from all traditional dances of the Yi nationality. This fact was summarized in the "National Yi Dance Academic Symposium" held by the National Folk Dance Integration Headquarters in Xichang in the fall of 1986. Someone summarized the traditional Yi dance and believed that "Yi dances are mostly foot movements, with very few upper body movements and postures, so there is no possibility of more dance postures" ("Yi Dance Academic Symposium Paper Album", page 14). No wonder, in the Suni ritual, drum beating and dancing wildly, perhaps except for the patient himself or his family members who are concerned about the purpose of exorcising ghosts and curing diseases, others are more concerned about the dance, music and acrobatic stunts performed. Get satisfaction from appreciation. Fourth, it is the unique and oldest form of Yi dance. The sheepskin drum is the symbol of the Suni wizard and the synonym of the Suni dance. Its uniqueness is mainly manifested in the following two aspects: In the Yi area of my country, due to historical and social development, geographical division, and many branches, there are many factors, not only the imbalance of social and economic development, but also the different styles and forms in cultural forms. As mentioned above, in the "Yi Dance Academic Conference Paper Album", there is no "sheepskin drum" in the seven major categories of Yi dance. Among the drums, there are only bronze drums, big drums, and flower drums, which are different from sheepskin drums. This is the case in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. The witches there, except for a few "Suni" belonging to the Liangshan Yi system who use leather drums, Liangshan Suni sheepskin drums are unique. In the "Historical Origin" of this article, it is said that "Bimo is directly derived from the ancient Suni (Shaman)". Indeed, from the existing and historical investigations, witches who still use sheepskin drums include: northern shamans, Tibetan temples and folk Reba, and Sichuan Aba Qiang priests "Xu", which are few in number. The sheepskin drums used by Liangshan Yi Suni are exactly the same as those used by Qiang "Xu" (also known as "Shibi"), with the same shape, the same use and function. This shows that Liangshan Yi Suni sheepskin drums have maintained the traditions of their ancestors, the ancient Diqiang people, and are primitive relics. 【Basic Value】1. Historical value of primitive religion and national culture Liangshan Yi Suni witch culture belongs to the category of primitive belief and primitive religion. "Primitive religious belief is integrated with national sentiment, customs, moral norms and cultural arts, and is often regarded as the core of national culture" ("Chinese Religious Music", page 223, edited by Tian Qing). It originated from the economic foundation of the primitive era and is the spiritual power acquired in the ignorant period to fight against nature and ghosts. It supports people through a long period of history. Its historical value is obvious and cannot be ignored. Liangshan Yi Suni culture should also have the above-mentioned historical status and value. Just from the Suni's scriptures, chants and lyrics, including astronomy, geography, social life, human ethics, literature and art, etc., the rich national cultural phenomena and core connotations reveal the communication information with the Yi ancestors. This is undoubtedly of considerable value for many disciplines of social sciences, such as anthropology, ethnology, history, religion, folklore, literature and art, etc.; for the disciplines of economy, production and life that belong to the social foundation, to carry out scientific research. 2. The reference value of developing national art All the excellent cultural heritage created by mankind is a precious treasure that needs to be inherited. According to the principle of "removing the dross and taking the essence", we should learn from the Suni dance form, rather than its witchcraft content and function. The "Taiping Drum" widely spread in northern my country is a single drum evolved from the "shaman" dance for the masses. The Suni song and dance of the Yi nationality is mainly dance, integrating the "trinity" of music and poetry, and also includes some comprehensive art forms such as spatial art and visual art. In particular, its dance is superior in the folk dance of the Yi nationality and is outstanding. Since the founding of New China, the first batch of literary and art workers in Liangshan began to explore. In 1958, when Liangshan society completed the democratic reform, the first rural amateur art festival was held. The "skin drum dance" was performed by the Yi people as a self-written program and was welcomed. Later, the Liangshan Art Troupe created a professional performance program, which was performed in the state, province and country and won recognition and praise. Historical experience shows that its dance form alone is worth exploring and inheriting. Moreover, Suni culture also contains a wide range of national cultural content. In terms of art, in addition to dance, there are also music, literature, and fine arts. Learning from it can help develop and promote the national culture and art of the Yi people. 3. The practical value of rational development and utilization As a national cultural phenomenon and superstructure, primitive religion has received considerable attention in the world and even in China for its history, role, and research. To cite a few examples, Yunnan compiled a large-scale monograph "On Bimo Culture" in 1993, as did Guizhou; Tian Qing of the Chinese Academy of Arts compiled "Chinese Religious Music". The Sichuan Liangshan Yi Society has done a lot of work in the investigation and research of the Yi Bimo and Suni culture, and has made considerable achievements. The Party and the government implement the policy of national autonomy, respect freedom of belief, and provide correct guidance. Bimo and Suni culture have received the social and cultural status they deserve, as well as the freedom of belief of the masses. In Liangshan Autonomous Prefecture and County, large-scale "Bimo Cultural Festival" events are also held. In large-scale cultural and artistic performances, the cultural and artistic images of Bimo and Suni are shaped, enriching the forms of national cultural art and achieving good social effects, which has certain practical value.