What is Bimo?

Bimo briefly introduces the primitive religion of Yi belief, because the organizer and host of its religious sacrifice is Bimo, commonly known as "Bimo religion". "Bimo" is a transliteration of Yi language, which means priest, scribe and teacher. In China's ancient books, there are names such as "Ghost Master", "Xipo", "Cuan Dad", "Old Man", "Ghost Master" and "Curtain". Due to different dialects and free translations, the names of different places are not the same. They master the ancient books in Yi language, own and read the Bimo Classic in Yi language, and understand the folk customs and stories. It is generally believed that Bimo is proficient in ancient and modern times, eloquent and knowledgeable, and is a communicator between man and god. In addition to hosting religious activities, they also teach Yi language and write and translate Yi classics. Yi people believe that Bimo is a priest sent by the gods, and all kinds of sacrifices are presided over by him. Bimo passed down from generation to generation is generally male, and there have been female Bimo in legend. Most of them are handed down from generation to generation, and a few are apprentices. Generally, they are apprentices when they are young, that is, the so-called "Bi Ri". Some of them live and study in Bimo's home when they are adults. Students who live on campus have to pay tuition fees, and generally have to study for three to five years before they can become independent. Every recipient should study hard, practice hard and pass on Bimo's knowledge. In the eyes of the Yi people, Bimo, who has a family heirloom, is better than Bimo, who has no family heirloom. For example, a family heirloom like Bimo must preside over important ancestor worship ceremonies such as requiem and sending spirits. Bimo is not usually full-time, but he has to get paid for doing things for others. Bimo's main duties Bimo's main duties in traditional Yi society can be divided into four categories: first, presiding over sacrifices; The second is to occupy the card; The third is to collect medicine and treat diseases; The fourth is to preside over the oath and divine judgment. Bimo recites scriptures, and the sacrifices presided over by Bimo include fasting, sacrifice, lecture and sacrifice. Zuozhai is an ancestor worship ceremony held by Yi people. Sacrifice is a ceremony to show the dead where their souls belong. The explanation is that when people encounter diseases or disasters, they think they are caused by ghosts and gods, so they try to eliminate disasters through certain sacrificial activities. Festival sacrifices, such as during the Torch Festival, every household invited Bimo to the field to pay homage to the Valley God and pray for a bumper harvest; In the year of Yi nationality, Bimo was invited to preside over the ceremony, offering sacrifices to the gods and praying for disaster relief. Divination is also one of Bimo's main duties. In case of war, fighting, hunting, sowing, illness, funeral, marriage, building, entering the house, traveling, trading, choosing a date, deciding doubts, reconciliation, etc. And all kinds of strange omens, the Yi people want to carry out divination to determine good or bad luck. There are many ways of divination in Bimo, such as throwing wood divination, Oracle bone divination, chicken bone divination, grass divination, bravery divination, fish divination, wine divination, painting on the ground divination, blood divination and so on. There are a large number of medical classics, a large number of medical records and a large number of pharmacological knowledge and prescriptions in Yi ancient books, which are the main carriers of Yi traditional medicine. Therefore, Bimo, the Yi people, is generally known for its medicinal properties. While practicing witchcraft, he also practiced medicine to treat diseases. He often gives some self-made animal and plant medicines to patients, and often gets certain results. Yi people's vows and divine judgments are also important legal activities of Bimo. Yi people attach great importance to faith, and all major negotiations between families and agreements reached with foreigners must be sworn by both sides. At the swearing-in ceremony, Bimo must be asked to recite scriptures and mantras, and ask the gods for help to ensure that both sides abide by the Covenant. Divine judgment, that is, divine judgment, especially when disputes caused by property theft cannot be solved by customary law, please ask Bimo to preside over divine judgment to solve them. There are many ways of divination for the Yi people, such as fishing for oil pan, floating lamp grass, chewing rice, touching eggs, touching stones and so on. Bibo literature catalogue is an important part of Yi literature, and the whole process of Bimo's legal activities is explained in detail in a special book with pictures and texts. There are many kinds of preserved Bimo Sutra, among which only the Bimo Sutra collected in Congzhi Congke includes Jieyuan Sutra, Yindao Sutra, Quan Nerve, Dojo with Sutra, Xuantong Sutra, Zhanxiong Jishu and so on. These texts still retain a large number of traditional Yi culture. Documents and documents are the means and basis for Bimo to engage in sacrificial activities, and are the tools with special divine power that Bimo relies on to achieve the gods, subdue demons, eliminate disasters and pray for blessings. In Liangshan area, Bimo's commonly used musical instruments and instruments mainly include fans, hats, bells, signing barrels, scriptures and so on. In addition, Bimo's tools include French Open, protective equipment, eagle claws, tiger teeth, wild boar teeth rings, bamboo sticks and water drums made temporarily as needed during the ceremony. French Open: Yi language is called "Haike", which is a net bag used by Bimo to load scriptures, instruments and other items. Bimo usually weaves it himself, using two hemp ropes, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise. Eagle claw, called "Vulture West" in Yi language, is the protector of Bimo and a symbol of Bimo's divine power. After air drying, it is bent into an eagle's claw, usually tied to a bell. When their parents died, the Yi people in Liangshan, regardless of their size, had to wash their faces, shave their heads and dress them, roll up their feet and tie them up, cover them with felt, put them on boards or scones and put them in the hall. Relatives and friends mourn and cry about the many advantages of the deceased. Yi people traditionally practice cremation. On the day of cremation, Bimo recited the Guide to the Road and listed the place names until "the place where the ancestors lived". When the body is burned and buried, please ask Bimo to ask Ling to be the spirit card. The spirit tablet will be placed in a small basket and hung on the front wall of the pot. The Yi people in Liangshan, Bimo, call ancestor worship "making silks". They believe that the dead will not cross over, they will stay at home, and then they will rise to the promised land and become gods. Generally, it will cross once every three generations, and it will cross every other generation if you have money. Silk-making time is as short as one or two days, and some are as long as six or seven days. When making silks, family members and relatives bring cows, sheep, pigs and chickens to sacrifice. Bimo built a memorial hall outside the house with bamboo, wood and grass when making silk books. Sacrificial ceremonies must conform to the provisions of Yi scripture. After bidding farewell to the ancestors, the Twelve Dojo and the spirit protector, family members and relatives wailed and circled in the fields outside the village, firing guns and dancing spears to express farewell and drive away the evil spirits on their way to the underworld. Finally, put the spirit tablet into a cloth bag and send it to the cave for worship. There are many special books on calendar, astronomy, geography, history and genealogy in the Book of Changes, which shows that Bimo has mastered and passed on all kinds of knowledge. They combined the knowledge of witchcraft, medicine, history, literature and law. However, with the development of modern science and culture, Bimo's role and influence in Yi society gradually faded.