布朗族文学与神话
Bulang Literature and Mythology
布朗族作为中国西南边疆的古老民族，在漫长的历史发展过程中创造了丰富多彩的口头文学，包括神话、传说、史诗、歌谣、叙事诗、谚语等多种形式。这些文学作品生动记录了布朗族的历史记忆、宗教信仰、伦理道德和审美情趣，是中华民族文化宝库中的瑰宝。
As one of the ancient ethnic groups of China’s southwestern frontier, the Bulang have created a rich and colorful body of oral literature over the course of their long history, including myths, legends, epics, ballads, narrative poems, proverbs and other forms. These literary works vividly record the historical memory, religious beliefs, ethics, morality and aesthetic tastes of the Bulang people, and are treasures in the treasure house of Chinese culture.
布朗族文学具有鲜明特征：
- 集体性：多为族群共同创作传承
- 口头性：依靠口耳相传保存
- 综合性：诗、乐、舞三位一体
- 象征性：善用动植物隐喻
- 变异性：同一母题多版本流传
Bulang literature bears distinct characteristics:
- Collective creation: works are often produced and transmitted by the community.
- Orality: preserved through oral transmission.
- Synthesis: integration of poetry, music, and dance.
- Symbolism: frequent use of plant and animal metaphors.
- Variability: multiple versions of the same motif circulate.
这些文学作品不仅是布朗族的精神家园，也为研究西南民族历史、宗教、社会提供了珍贵资料。如《兄妹婚》神话反映血缘婚历史，《迁徙史诗》印证民族迁徙路线，《图腾神话》揭示原始崇拜渊源。在当代，布朗族文学正通过文字记录、舞台改编、学校教育等方式获得新生，继续滋养着民族文化的传承与发展。
These literary works not only serve as the spiritual homeland of the Bulang but also provide valuable materials for the study of the history, religion, and society of Southwest China’s ethnic groups. For example, the Sibling Marriage myth reflects historical memories of consanguineous unions; the Migration Epics record ancestral migration routes; and Totem Myths reveal the roots of primitive worship. In the contemporary era, Bulang literature is being revitalized through transcription, stage adaptation, and school education, continuing to nourish cultural transmission and development.
一、创世神话：宇宙与人类的起源
I. Creation Myths: The Origin of the Universe and Humankind
布朗族的创世神话体系完整，想象瑰丽，主要解释天地形成和人类起源两大主题。
The Bulang creation mythology forms a complete system, rich in imagination, centering on two major themes: the formation of heaven and earth, and the origin of humanity.
（一）天地开辟神话
- Myths of Heaven and Earth
《顾米亚》是流传于红河州金平县的经典创世神话。故事讲述远古时期宇宙间充满飘荡的云雾，神巨人顾米亚和十二个孩子立志开天辟地。他们猎杀一头巨大犀牛，用犀牛皮做天，犀牛肉做地，犀牛眼变星辰，犀牛骨化石头，犀牛血成江河，犀牛毛变花草树木，犀牛骨髓化作鸟兽虫鱼。为防止天地塌陷，顾米亚用犀牛腿撑天，鳌鱼托地，创造了有序的世界。
Gumiya, a classic creation myth from Jinping County in Honghe Prefecture, tells of a time when the universe was filled with drifting clouds and mist. The divine giant Gumiya and his twelve children resolved to create the world. They slew a colossal rhinoceros: its hide became the sky, its flesh the earth, its eyes the stars, its bones the rocks, its blood the rivers, and its hair the plants and trees. Its marrow transformed into birds, beasts, insects, and fish. To prevent the collapse of heaven and earth, Gu Miya held up the sky with the legs of a rhinoceros and supported the earth with a turtle fish, creating an orderly world.
西双版纳流传的《帕雅英与十二瓦席》则讲述地球原是汪洋，十二行星（瓦席）的光热不足。宇宙大神之子帕雅英挖出左眼挂于天空，为地球带来光明。在太阳照射下，陆地扩大，生命诞生。后经洪水劫难，帕雅英在月亮女神帮助下，用木雕人像创造人类。
Another myth, Payayin and the Twelve Planets, circulating in Xishuangbanna, recounts that the earth was once a boundless ocean, and the twelve planets (known as Waxi) lacked sufficient light and heat. Payayin, the son of the great god of the universe, gouged out his left eye and hung it in the sky, bringing light to the earth. Under the sun’s rays, land expanded and life was born. After a catastrophic flood, Payayin, aided by the moon goddess, carved wooden figures and created humankind.
（二）人类起源神话
(2) Myths of Humankind Origins
布朗族的人类起源神话形态多样，这些神话既反映了血缘婚的历史记忆，也蕴含对各民族同源共祖的朴素认知：
Bulang myths of human origin take diverse forms, reflecting both historical memories of sibling marriage and an early understanding of common ancestry among different peoples:
- 葫芦生人说：流传最广的版本讲述天神派天鹅衔来葫芦籽，葫芦成熟后啄开，走出各族先民。双江县传说葫芦从”勐茅大湾塘”漂来，白鼠啃通葫芦，走出布朗、傣、汉等民族。
Birth from a gourd: The most widespread version tells that the sky god sent a swan to deliver gourd seeds. When the gourd ripened and was pecked open, the ancestors of various peoples emerged. In Shuangjiang, it is said the gourd floated from Mengmao Dawan Pond, and when gnawed open by a white mouse, Blang, Dai, Han, and other groups came forth.
- 兄妹婚神话：多数地区都有洪水后兄妹婚配再造人类的故事。滇西版本讲兄妹滚磨盘验证天意，婚后生怪胎剁碎变人；滇南版本则说兄妹躲树洞避洪水，生出葫芦后从中走出人类。
Sibling marriage: Many regions recount that after a flood, a brother and sister repopulated humanity. In western Yunnan, they tested heaven’s will by rolling a millstone; after marriage, they bore a monster, which when chopped into pieces transformed into humans. In southern Yunnan, the siblings hid in a tree hollow during the flood, later producing a gourd from which humankind emerged.
- 削木成人说：勐海县传说男子削木为女，结为夫妻繁衍后代；另有”木穴出人”说，布朗人从烧红铁锥钻出的木穴中钻出，故皮肤黝黑。
Carving humans from wood: In Menghai County, a tale relates that a man carved a woman from wood and married her, giving rise to descendants. Another story, the “wood-hole origin,” claims that Bulang people crawled out from holes drilled in wood with a red-hot iron awl, which explains their dark skin.
二、图腾神话：竹鼠与蛤蟆的传说
II. Totem Myths: Legends of Bamboo Rats and Toads
布朗族的图腾神话与其原始崇拜密切相关，最具代表性的是竹鼠和蛤蟆的故事。
Bulang totem myths are closely linked to primitive worship, with the most representative focusing on the bamboo rat and the toad.
（一）竹鼠神话
- Bamboo Rat Myths
西双版纳广泛流传竹鼠赠谷种的神话：两位庄稼人”帕亚隆木低”和”帕亚猛拉”向天神讨谷种未果，最终竹鼠赠予一粒谷子，播种三年后获得丰收。因此布朗族将竹鼠视为带来”谷魂”的恩主，禁止捕杀。每年”冈永”节要举行隆重的竹鼠祭祀仪式，用蜡条、鲜花装饰竹鼠游寨。
In Xishuangbanna, a widespread tale recounts how bamboo rats gifted grain seeds: Two farmers, Payalongmudi and Payamengla, failed to obtain seeds from the sky god, but a bamboo rat gave them a single grain. Three years after sowing, they had a bountiful harvest. Therefore, the Bulang people regard the bamboo rat as a benefactor that brings the “soul of the valley” and prohibit its hunting. Each year, during the Gang Yong Festival, a grand ritual is held in their honor, where bamboo rats are decorated with wax strips and flowers and paraded around the village.
（二）蛤蟆神话
(2) Toad Myths
《岩洛卜我》讲述人王原是蛤蟆，为对抗制造干旱的天神”叭亚天”，先派白蚂蚁蛀空天神武器，最终获胜。他将天上禽兽分给人类，男人分得野禽因管理不善全部逃走，女人分得家禽细心照料得以留存。蛤蟆脱皮变人，成为布朗族祖先。这个神话解释了狩猎与驯养的分工起源。
In Yan Luo Bu Wo, tells the story that the human king was originally a toad. To fight against the god Ba Ya Tian who caused drought, he first sent white ants to hollow out the god’s weapon and eventually won. He distributed the beasts in the sky among humans. The men were given wild birds, but all of them fled due to poor management. The women were given domestic fowls, which they took good care of and survived. The toad shed its skin and transformed into a human, becoming the ancestor of the Bulang ethnic group. This myth explains the origin of the division of labor between hunting and domestication.
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三、自然神话：解释性传说
III. Nature Myths: Explanatory Tales
布朗族通过生动传说解释自然现象，体现独特的原始思维。
The Bulang interpret natural phenomena through vivid myths, reflecting their distinctive modes of thought.
（一）日月神话
《太阳、月亮和蛤蟆》解释日食月食：三兄弟中蛤蟆常被欺负，发誓要”在世人面前丢脸”，于是定期吞食太阳月亮，形成日食月食。这反映了布朗族对天文现象的观察。
(1) Sun and Moon Myths
The Sun, the Moon, and the Toad explains eclipses: Among the three brothers, Toad, was often bullied and vowed to make his siblings to “lose face in front of the world”, so it regularly swallowed the Sun and the moon, resulting in solar and lunar eclipses. This reflects the observation of astronomical phenomena by the Bulang people.
（二）动物特征传说
《空肚子的”多多威”》通过连锁式情节，解释知了（蝉）为何空腹：油瓜砸碎土锅→找松鼠→找蚂蚁→找野鸡→找芝麻→找冬瓜→找麋子→找知了，最终艾广龙怒捏知了腰部，使其内脏尽出。
(2) Animal Trait Legends
The Empty-Bellied Duoduowei explains through a series of plot twists why cicadas are on an empty stomach: oil melon smashing the clay pot → looking for squirrels → looking for ants → looking for pheasants → looking for sesame seeds → looking for winter melons → looking for elk → looking for cicadas. Eventually, “Ai Guanglong” angrily pinches the cicada’s waist, causing all its internal organs to come out.
（三）谷物起源神话
《牙枯索》讲述谷种起源：孕妇”牙枯索”的谷粒大如南瓜，因管理不善四处逃散，竹鼠将其撒播大地，人类始有粮食。另有传说称谷种会飞，因懒人艾温嗯不修粮仓而永不再来。
(3) Myths of Grain Origins
The Yaku Suo tells of the origin of grain seeds: The grains of the pregnant woman “Yakusuo” were as big as pumpkins. Due to poor management, they scattered in all directions. Bamboo rats scattered them on the ground, and thus humans had food. There is another legend that the grain seeds can fly and will never come back because the lazy man, “Ai Wen En”, did not repair the granary.
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四、迁徙史诗：民族历史的记忆
IV. Migration Epics: Memories of Ethnic History
布朗族通过史诗记录迁徙历程，最具代表性的是《从勐茅来的人》和《来自”洪勒南三嘿”》。这些史诗讲述布朗先民从”勐茅”（今缅甸景栋一带）沿澜沧江、怒江迁徙，最终定居现居地的艰难历程。诗中提到”拖头成寨”、”金山选地”等情节，折射真实历史事件。
The Bulang people record their migration through epics, the most representative of which are The People Who Came from Mengmao and Those from Honglenan Sanhei. These epics tell the arduous journey of the ancestors of the Bulang people as they migrated from “Mengmao” (now the area around Jingdong in Myanmar) along the Lancang River and the Nu River and finally settled in their current settlements. The poem mentions plots such as “dragging heads to form a camp” and “selecting a site in Jinshan”, reflecting real historical events.
勐海县打洛乡的《帕雅英、帕雅捧、帕雅天造人》则将迁徙与创世结合，叙述祖先从水底世界被救出，经葫芦漂流定居的故事。
In Daluo Township, Menghai County, the epic Payayin, Payapeng, and Payatian Create Humanity merges migration with creation, narrating how ancestors were rescued from an underwater world, drifted in a gourd, and finally found a place to settle.
五、民间故事：多元题材的叙事
V. Folktales: Narratives of Diverse Themes
布朗族民间故事题材广泛，包括：
Bulang folktales cover a wide range of subjects:
（一）动物故事
《黄鹏和大象》讲述黄鹏在黄蜂、苍蝇、青蛙帮助下，为被大象踩死的幼鸟复仇，体现团结抗争精神。《小蛤蟆智斗三大王》等寓言故事，多表现弱小战胜强暴的主题。
(1) Animal Tales
Huangpeng and the Elephant tells how “Huang Peng”, aided by wasps, flies, and frogs, avenged a fledgling bird trampled to death by an elephant, symbolizing solidarity and resistance. Fables such as The Clever Little Toad Outsmarts the Three Kings highlight the triumph of the weak over the strong.
（二）爱情故事
《两姐妹》是蛇郎型故事，妹妹嫁龙王子遭姐姐嫉妒被害，变孔雀重生；《朗三飘》讲述美女被妖怪逼迫跳河成仙的悲剧。
(2) Love Stories
The Two Sisters is a story of the Snake Boy type. The younger sister married the Dragon Prince and was jealous and killed by her elder sister. She then transformed into a peacock and was reborn. Lang Sanpiao narrates the tragedy of a maiden forced by a demon to leap into a river and become an immortal.
（三）机智人物故事
《艾掌来》系列故事展现布朗族”阿凡提”式的智慧，如《巧改对联》中巧妙化解头人刁难。
(3) Trickster Tales
The Ai Zhang Lai is a series of stories showcases the wisdom of the “A Fan Ti” style of the Bulang ethnic group, such as the ingenious resolution of the headman’s obstruction in Cleverly Altering the Couplets.
（四）生活故事
《寡妇儿子和鱼姑娘》歌颂勤劳善良；《骗人害己的卡拽》鞭挞欺诈恶行。
(4) Everyday Life Stories
The Widow’s Son and the Fish Maiden praises diligence and kindness, while Kazhui, Who Harmed Himself Through Deceit, criticizes fraud and evil.
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六、诗歌艺术：心灵的吟唱
VI. Poetic Art: Songs of the Soul
布朗族诗歌与音乐舞蹈紧密结合，主要类型包括：
Bulang poetry is inseparable from music and dance, with major types including:
（一）古歌
“索”（劳动歌）、”拽”（习俗歌）、”宰”（情歌）、”生”（迁徙歌）、”同曼”（反抗歌）五大调式。勐海县有《叫谷魂歌》，唱述谷种飞行能力的神奇。
(1) Ancient Songs
Five principal modes: Suo (labor songs), Zhuai (customary songs), Zai (love songs), Sheng (migration songs), and Tongman (songs of resistance). In Menghai County, Song of Summoning the Grain Soul recounts the magic of the flying ability of the grain seeds.
（二）叙事诗
《艾棱传》歌颂英雄率民迁徙；《道高朗》讲述布朗青年与傣族小姐的爱情悲剧。
(2) Narrative Poems
The Tale of Ai Leng praises a hero who led his people in migration, while Dao Gaolang tells the tragic love story of a Bulang youth and a Dai maiden.
（三）情歌
“拔盼”（情词）多用隐喻，如”你若是水我不喝，是火我不燃”表达反抗头人决心。
(3) Love Songs
Bapan (love lyrics) abound in metaphor. For example, “If you are water, I shall not drink; if you are fire, I shall not burn” expresses determination to resist oppressive headmen.
（四）儿歌
《多多威》模仿蝉鸣，《月亮圆圆》充满童趣幻想。
(4) Children’s Songs
Doduowei imitates cicada sounds, while The Round Moon is full of childlike imagination.
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