DongBa Writings

is one hieroglyph that has been in existence for many centuries, and is still being practiced till today. The only living pictograph in the world still in used by the religious Naxi minority ethnic group in China. The word 'Dongba' refers not only to the texts but also to the name given to their highly respected scholar priests /wisemaen. Similarly, the religion, which the Naxi people practice, is known as the Dongba religion, and their culture, the Dongba culture.

 

The Dongbas record their scriptures entirely in hieroglyphs. These scriptures were first recorded on rocks and bamboos, and later on natural coarse handmade paper unique to the Naxi people. These scriptures are important to the Naxi people as they record the history and development of the whole Dongba culture, from details of their ceremonies, myths and legends, to scenes of their daily lives and surroundings.

 

As with all other ancient pictographs, the Dongba language is facing extinction. With a population of only 320,000, the new generations of the Naxis are preoccupied with the mainstream education, and placed less emphasis on their own culture. Therefore the government and local communities took immediate action to promote and preserve this Dongba heritage with the setup of the Dongba Culture Research Bureau. A more recent development is the construction of the "Dongba Kingdom" - a newly completed tourist attraction at the foot of the Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountains close to the ancient town of Lijiang, occupying 100,000 square meters of area showcasing Dongba history, religion, culture and arts.

 

My loaded picture shows some examples of Dongba writings carved on wood, sold as souvenirs. Did anyone know any of the pictograph meanings? :-)

Dongba, the only living pictograph in the world still in used by the

religious Naxi minority ethnic group in China. Thank for viewing/

Beautifuly done. Thanks for the explanation.

The meaning of the pictograph is C H E R L Y N (the middle row) is an artist photographer.Top row means 'excellent' & the lower row ( hidden ) means Bravo! :-) Very good cropping, exposure and colours. Amazing pictograph. Many thanks for the information.Reminds me of Boy Scout's badges.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MeritBadgeSash.JPG

Beautifully done. And educational, too. It seems as if the pictographs, if learned, would make the lovely basis for some beautiful art. I'm always struck with how beautiful pictographs are, my favorite being some of the Aboriginal writings. This is lovely and so sad to hear that it is disappearing.

Colour, clarity, details spot-on. Excellent diagonal composition.

Colourful and beautiful composition. Bravo.

Wonderful presentation and info Cherlyn!

Thank you for sharing culture, photography is an excellent way. Congratulations. Have a nice weekend. Vicente.

Very aesthetic. really nice composition (and colors). compliments -koushik

Great documentary, Cherlyn. Regards

A delight of composition, forms, textures and colors. Excellent photograph, Cherlyn. Congrats!

Love the history Cherlyn. Some of the lines look like water maybe.(?) Your slant is interesting and I like it, but it also has a feeling of falling out of frame.

Muy instructiva, se agradece.

Saludos.

Wonderful composition with great combination of lovely colors, dear friend, hugs.

Fascinating capture and composition, Cherlyn. I love your commentaries, I feel so connected to the subject. Surely, these pictographs have a place in the world society. Thank you for sharing.

Love the sharpness, colours here.

I have long ago commented on this beauty and probably forgot comfirm. It is a very interesting cultural expression , letters that has a meaning and are looking like linear drawings.I like the way you have presented it ,in the colored composition and writing. very nice and educational about an anknown culture.

Great documentary. Thank you for sharing.

Interesting Cherlyn. I really like your perspective on these writings. It is sad that so many cultures are being slowly erased by modern thinking. Many of the Native American traditions are in danger of being lost as well. Navajo rug weaving for example. Very well photographed. Fred

Fantastic, beautiful colors.

 

Regards.

 

Alberto

Amazing colour and an interesting angle.It almost gives me the feeling of falling forward. Nice patterns. -David :)