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Butterfly Mother
Xueliang Ma
€ 50.99
€ 37.77
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Description for Butterfly Mother
A collection of epics from the Miao (Hmong) ethnic group of southwest China. The poetic narratives, traditionally performed by two groups of singers, relate the creation of the world and the peoples and creatures in it. These mythic narratives serves as encyclopedias of traditional myths, legends, and folk customs of the Miao people. Translator(s): Bender, Mark. Num Pages: 256 pages, 1 map. BIC Classification: 1FPC; JFHF. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 225 x 149 x 21. Weight in Grams: 408.
Butterfly Mother is a collection of epic songs from the rich oral tradition of the Miao (Hmong) people of southwest China. These poetic narratives, traditionally performed by two groups of singers, relate the creation of a world in which everything is alive, and listeners find that besides mountains, rivers, trees, and creatures, inanimate objects are also 'born' and have spirits. In his engaging introduction, Mark Bender places these mythic narratives in their social and historical context, describing the workings and traditions of Miao society.
Brimming with cultural lore, Butterfly Mother is a virtual encyclopedia of time-honored myths, legends, and folk customs of the Miao people.
Product Details
Publication date
2006
Publisher
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc United States
Number of pages
214
Condition
New
Number of Pages
256
Format
Hardback
Place of Publication
Cambridge, MA, United States
ISBN
9780872208506
SKU
V9780872208506
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 5 to 9 working days
Ref
99-2
About Xueliang Ma
Mark Bender is Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures, The Ohio State University.
Reviews for Butterfly Mother
Bender has published translations and studies of Chinese minority nationality epics and folktales since the early 1980s. The current volume brings together about 20 Miao (Hmong) epic songs, grouped into six parts: 'Prelude', 'Song of Gold and Silver', 'Song of the Ancient Sweet Gum', 'Song of Butterfly Mother,' 'The Great Flood', and 'Westwards, Upriver'. Historical, geographic, ethnographic, linguistic, and folkloristic introductions help the reader understand the internal logic of the songs and the myths, legends, and folk customs of the Miao. Including ample notes and a selected bibliography, this is a book for those interested in folklore, epics, mythology, and ethnography. Summing up: Recommended.
J. W. Walls, CHOICE Talk about 'persistent cultures'
this translation of the great epic, mythic tellings of the Miao/Hmong peoples is a window into a huge ancient soul of sustainable spirit and practice. Mark Bender's commentary provides context and details of places and singers that makes it even richer. This book provides new insights into how deeply oral recitation and performance can be embedded in a whole society, and some fresh, stunning stories.
Gary Snyder, author of Mountains and Rivers Without End
J. W. Walls, CHOICE Talk about 'persistent cultures'
this translation of the great epic, mythic tellings of the Miao/Hmong peoples is a window into a huge ancient soul of sustainable spirit and practice. Mark Bender's commentary provides context and details of places and singers that makes it even richer. This book provides new insights into how deeply oral recitation and performance can be embedded in a whole society, and some fresh, stunning stories.
Gary Snyder, author of Mountains and Rivers Without End