In the past, the Daur people mainly believed in Shamanism. The person who presides over the shamanism ceremony is called "Shaman", and the Daur language is "Yadagan". The following is an introduction to the Daur shaman dance I compiled. Welcome to read the reference!
Shamans are both men and women, and they still take part in labor on weekdays. Its main functions are to safeguard the national security and prosperity, such as jumping doctors for patients, praying for a bumper harvest (Daur people are used to throwing water for rain), sending souls to the dead, begging for children for women who have never given birth, etc. Shaman dance is a kind of dance in which shaman holds drum dance.
Shamans should wear special clothes, hats and instruments when they jump into the sky. The making of clothes and hats is very complicated and exquisite. The bronze bird on the top of the hat is a symbol of the eagle god. On the tight robes made of deer and suede, a dazzling array of bronze mirrors, shells, ribbons, bronze bells and other decorations are sewn. When the shaman jumped out of his mind, these ornaments made a sonorous sound. Shaman drum is a kind of grasping drum, which is surrounded by willow, covered with sheepskin or suede, tied to the drum side with four leather ropes on the back, and tied with an iron ring or copper ring in the center for holding the drum. Chicken legs are made of fine vines and wrapped in soft animal leg skin.
The main actions of shaman drumming are "beating the drum" (holding the drum on his chest with the beating point outward), "lifting the drum" (beating the drum on his chest or in a low-lying place after his hands are opened upward), "rotating the drum" (turning the drum on his left wrist, beating the drum downward and upward respectively) and "fanning the drum" (holding the drum edge with both hands and fanning the drum outward). The main steps are "shaking your legs" (the dancer stands on tiptoe, and both legs shake alternately or simultaneously), "jumping forward with one foot" (jumping forward with the other foot and drumming at the same time), "jumping backward with bent legs" (drumming when jumping up), "jumping back and forth in eight steps" (moving back and forth), "turning in place" (hunching back or leaning back) and "turning over". When the dance reached its climax, the shaman walked with changeable footwork, tapped and played the drums in his hand flexibly and agilely, and swung his body rhythmically. At this time, drums, songs and the melodious sound of ornaments colliding with clothes are integrated, which shows the dancer's skillful and superb skills and the unique style and rhythm of shaman dance.
After liberation, the Daur people gradually eliminated feudal superstitions, shaman's jumping activities also gradually disappeared, and shaman dance also lost its performance occasions. Shaman dance is an integral part of ancient Daur culture and a relic of primitive religious dance. It is necessary to analyze and study it after rescue. ;