#shamanistic dance

The Tiger Dance of the Yi in Yunnan

It is said that the Yi people from Shuangbai County in Yunnan province once lived in a dense forest disturbed by snakes and wild animals. In order to prevent themselves from being hurt, they thought out a way to guard the village. Under the lead of the black Tiger King, they perform all kinds of dances reflecting the production, living, and procreation of the Yi people and go to each house at the village to help get rid of evils. Thus the Tiger Dance was created ever since, showing their tiger-like strength and valor.

Once a year, a fortnight after the Chinese Spring Festival, Wudi village stages a peculiar festival of its own - Laohuzhuan, or Dressing Up as Tigers - that in no way resembles anything culturally Chinese, unless it be the shamanistic dances of ancient, preliterate Chinese. For this event several young men don strange costumes, paint their bodies and masquerade as tigers (or leopards). They are joined by other men, including the village bimaw, in long black gowns. Together they perform magic dances to invoke the gods’ blessings for the coming rice crop.

Top illustration is a collage by Colette Fu, the other photos come from different sources. Jim Goodman has a very good description of the Tiger Dance on his blog.