An Ethnographic Study On Epic Song Tradition Of The Miao

The present dissertation consists of an introduction, four main chapters, and a bibliography with 112 illustrations, in addition to an epilogue and appendices. The appendices include transcriptions of certain parts of the epic Seib Gangx Neel, selected field notes, relevant field interviews, and a DVD CD-ROM of oral epic performances recorded in the field study.In introduction, the author begins with a discussion on following problems:(1) methodological and theoretical perspectives in the study of Miao epic; (2) research objectives and data sources; (3) purposes and methods for doing field study; and (4) term explanations.The first chapter provides a brief survey of scholarly achievements in Miao epic studies in China and abroad. With an emphasis on the history of scholarship in the oral transmission of Miao epic songs, the author makes her commentary interpretations on studies of the epic singers--traditional bearers and practitioners-concerning the present study.The second chapter focuses mainly on the traditional inheritors of Miao epic songs. Through on-the-spot investigations and filed interviews with cultural workers, local scholars, and epic singers, both carried out in Kaili, Shibing, Taijiang and Jianhe, the author gives a comprehensive and holistic report on the specific group of Miao epic performers. Moreover, from site-selection strategy for developing field study to participant observation of those interviewees'"self-representation," this chapter offers a thick description of the transmitting environment, cultural context, and epic performers, as well as the present situation concerning Miao epic tradition in its native lands.In the third chapter, the author makes her ethnographic writing on the tie between doing participant observation and recording performances of Seib Gangx Neel conducted by local epic performers, such as Long Guangxue, Zhang Laocha, Pan Lingzhi, and Liu Changji. To this end, the author adopts the related research methods in oral traditions to make text of Seib Gangx Neel conforming to the standards of folk studies. Based on the transcriptions of the live oral performances, this section gives priority both to epic singers who created and presented oral texts in situated contexts and to the oral performative features which lead to a closer magnification of Miao epic songs in its traditional pool. Furthermore, the author combines analysis of the epic singing with its living oral tradition, and therefore sets out her ethnographic interpretation in the time-horned tradition and the actual performance.In the forth chapter, the author explores into the traditional ways of transmitting epic songs among the Miaos. She embarks on dealing with consistent observations of the teaching-learning processes happened between two on-the-spot cases:master Zhang Laoge in Xinzhai Village and master Long Guangyang in Shui Jingbian Village, and then makes discourse interpretations of the traditional features, by using local terminologies, generated from the model of master-apprentice. Depending on the personal life histories of Long Hexian, Long Guangji, Long Guangxun, Wan Laoxiu, and other epic singers, with a stress on their growth phases, acquisition of skills, and performing practices, the author probes further into the interrelations between epic singers and epic transmission within the cultural contexts.The final part is devoted to a reflection of field study experiences. The Author basically expounds how to establish and maintain the field connections with epic singers, and the ethnic issues in the field study From "the emic" to "the etic," the author gives her points of view on conceptionalizing "authenticity" in ethnographic writing on oral traditions.