寻根腊罗巴英文书评和翻译
DISCOVERING THE LALO PEOPLE: AN EXPLORATION OF THE LALO YI FOLK CULTURE IN CHANGNING
书评：寻根““腊罗巴””—昌宁彝族民俗文化考察
作者：Yang Yaocheng 杨耀程 and Yin Chengjun 殷铖君. 标题：Discovering the Lalo People: An Exploration of the Lalo Yi Folk Culture in Changning 《寻根“腊罗巴”—昌宁彝族民俗文化考察》. Kunming: Yunnan People’s Publishing House, 2011. 昆明: 云南人民出版社，2011年.
Reviewed by Zhou Tingsheng (Ph.D. candidate, Minzu University of China, HYI Visiting Fellow 2015-2016)
评论人：周廷升（中央民族大学博士研究生；哈佛-燕京学社2015-2016年度访问学人）
Co-authored by two native scholars, this book is a highly informative monograph on the folk culture of the Lalo people, a subgroup of Chinese ethnic Yi mainly located in west Yunnan. As indicated in the appendix of the book, the research is based on the authors’ interviews with hundreds of local elders, shamans, artisans, and carpenters, among others, during ten years of fieldwork in the predominantly Lalo Yi townships of Zhujie (珠街乡) and Goujie (耇街乡) in Changning county (昌宁县). This work will especially benefit those who are interested in the indigenous cultures of ethnic minority groups in southwest China.
译文：本书由两位彝族学者合著，介绍主要发布在云南省西部的彝族“腊罗巴”人的民俗文化。正如书中后记部分中所提到的一样，本研究的田野调查点在彝族“腊罗巴”人聚居较多的昌宁县珠街乡和耇街乡，两位作者在近十年中对当地长者、毕摩、艺人、工匠等进行采访，最终写出这本很有学术价值的专著。如果读者对中国西南地区原生态文化感兴趣，会从该书受益匪浅。
The book has seven chapters which explore, respectively, the Lalo Yi people’s ethnic origins, cuisine, architecture, costumes, childbirth, marriage, and funeral. Chapter one gives a general introduction to the Lalo Yi people. Chapters two to seven are the main body of this book. Chapter two focuses on the native people’s staple food and delicacies prepared with green and organic products; this chapter includes a discussion of the local people’s concept of natural resource preservation, which is reflected in collecting edible plants from mountains, hunting game in forests, and fishing in rivers. Chapter three describes the Lalo Yi people’s carpentry and the rites related to house-building. Chapter four introduces the traditional costume, with special attention to women’s clothes. Chapter five deals with the rituals of birthing and childhood. The next chapter talks about the wedding ceremony. The last chapter elucidates funeral practices. An appendix discusses the preservation of Lalo Yi folk culture. This book contains much genuine, accurate and authentic information about the Lalo Yi people.
译文：本书共分七章，分别讲述彝族“腊罗巴”人的历史起源、美食佳肴、建筑艺术、特色服饰、生育文化和丧葬习俗。第一章对彝族“腊罗巴”人进行总体介绍；第二至七章为该书的主体部分。第二章聚焦“腊罗巴”人的日常饮食和特色佳肴，其中谈到了当地人从深山森林和江河中获取绿色有机食品中所体现出来的人与自然之间和谐理念。第三章描述了彝族“腊罗巴”人的木匠工艺和建房相关的习俗。第四章介绍了传统服饰，重点关注多彩靓丽的妇女服饰。第五章讲述生育、起名和孩童教育及相关的风俗习惯。接下来一章关注彝族“腊罗巴”人的婚恋文化及庆祝仪式。最后一章详述了彝族“腊罗巴”人的丧葬活动。附录部分探讨了彝族“腊罗巴”人民俗文化的保护与传承问题。该书材料详实、内容丰富，全面呈现了彝族“腊罗巴”人的民俗文化。
This work highlights the value of a research approach that is based on the authors’ real life experience and their observations gained as insiders. The authors describe and interpret Lalo Yi folk culture enacted in everyday life. Specifically, they elaborate the local delicacies and cuisine, document the ceremonious activities on the day of erecting the framework during house-building, illustrate the beautiful ethnic clothes, introduce the celebration for the coming of a newborn, describe the folk songs popular in wedding ceremonies, and explain the shamans’ chants at funerals. All these exist in the context of a native society in which both authors had grown up before going to college. They even rediscover extinct artifacts and customs. For example, on page 86 the authors describe the procedures for making a coat with a kind of locally-produced fireweed; people stopped using this unique cloth sometime in last century, yet the authors were able to discover its erstwhile existence after interviewing elders who still had knowledge of it; and on page 210 the authors probe the custom of the “entrusting marriage” (寄婚 Jihun) popular in the past, and explain its unpopularity in modern times. In sum, these core chapters are impressively rich.
译文：本书最大的一个亮点，就是作者的研究源于他们真实的生活体验和作为本族人的敏锐观察和深刻思考。作者描述和解读了彝族“腊罗巴”人日常生活中活灵活现的民俗文化。具体来说，他们详细地介绍当地美食佳肴的备料和制作过程，记录了建新房竖柱上梁当天的各项隆重庆祝活动，展示了丰富多彩的民族服饰，分享一个新生命诞生所带来的喜悦和庆祝，传送出新婚场面的酒歌与祝福，解释葬礼上毕摩口中的的唱词。这些都存在于养育两位作者的彝族“腊罗巴”人村村寨寨中。虽然他们走出大山到外求学工作，但始终情系父老乡亲。更可贵的一点是，他们甚至能挖掘出一些不再流行的传统工艺和习俗。例如，书中第86页作者描述了火草衣的制作工艺。事实上， 现在不再有人穿这种独特的衣服，因为上世纪就已经在彝族“腊罗巴”人中消失了。但是，作者能够从访谈彝族老人的过程中能重新发现这种衣服的原料和制作方法。再如，书中第210页作者挖掘了过去流行的寄婚习俗，解释了在当今社会不再流行的原因。总之，该书的主体章节的内容都很丰富，给读者留下深刻的印象。
However, in chapter one the ethnic origins of the Lalo Yi are not fully clarified. For the most part the authors cite classic Chinese works that record facts about southwestern minority groups. Such records are usually prejudiced and sometimes misleading. Classic Chinese works were principally written or compiled in conformity with orthodox Confucianism, unfavorable to the “uncivilized” or “barbarian” minority peoples, and later revised, recompiled or even distorted and misinterpreted several times in accordance with the specific political context of later dynasties. Moreover, in past millennia the aboriginal groups in southwest China migrated from place to place and had frequent contact with neighboring groups. Therefore, it is inappropriate to trace a certain modern minority group to any of the peoples in such records. It seems more promising to explore the origins of a minority group primarily with the help of anthropological methods while referring to the related Chinese works.
译文：当然，本书第一章中所讲述的彝族“腊罗巴”人的起源问题还可以进一步探讨。作者在这部分中主要引用史书中记载的关于西南地区少数民族的内容。类似的记载内容的可靠性需要进一步商酌。古代历史对边疆“蛮”、“夷”的记载不少有偏见或误导的内容，因为这些族群的风俗习惯不符合儒家正统规范，史书又经历朝历代重新编撰修改，内容缺失和误解的情况时有发生。另一个原因是过去几千年中，西南地区的众多原著民族不断迁徙，相互频繁接触融合。对现代某一族群起源的认识，从现代人类学民族学角度分析的同时也参考历史记载，或许会更深刻一些。
Overall, this book is of great significance for advancing our knowledge on the culture of the Lalo Yi people. This is all the more important, because there was no previous publication of any monograph on the folk culture of this particular Yi subgroup. In addition, with the increasing influence of globalization and the digital revolution, thousands of minority cultures and languages around the world are endangered and extinguished. Undoubtedly, the Lalo Yi folk culture is not an exception. Thanks to the unremitting efforts of the two native scholars, the publication of this book contributes not only to studies of cultural diversity in southwest China, but also to the preservation of an endangered culture.
译文：总体来看，本书在推介彝族“腊罗巴”人的文化上迈出了很有意义的一步。其重要性显而易见，因为这之前还没有出版过一本关于彝族“腊罗巴”人民俗文化的专著。另外，随着全球化进程的加剧，数字革命浪潮的兴起，使得世界上数众多少数民族的语言和文化变得濒危甚至消亡。毫无疑问，彝族“腊罗巴”人的民俗文化也没有例外。所幸的是，在两位作者的不懈努力之下，本书得已出版。这不仅是对中国西南多元文化研究的一个重要贡献，而且还有利于保护和传承民族传统文化。
书评：寻根““腊罗巴””—昌宁彝族民俗文化考察
作者：Yang Yaocheng 杨耀程 and Yin Chengjun 殷铖君. 标题：Discovering the Lalo People: An Exploration of the Lalo Yi Folk Culture in Changning 《寻根“腊罗巴”—昌宁彝族民俗文化考察》. Kunming: Yunnan People’s Publishing House, 2011. 昆明: 云南人民出版社，2011年.
Reviewed by Zhou Tingsheng (Ph.D. candidate, Minzu University of China, HYI Visiting Fellow 2015-2016)
评论人：周廷升（中央民族大学博士研究生；哈佛-燕京学社2015-2016年度访问学人）
Co-authored by two native scholars, this book is a highly informative monograph on the folk culture of the Lalo people, a subgroup of Chinese ethnic Yi mainly located in west Yunnan. As indicated in the appendix of the book, the research is based on the authors’ interviews with hundreds of local elders, shamans, artisans, and carpenters, among others, during ten years of fieldwork in the predominantly Lalo Yi townships of Zhujie (珠街乡) and Goujie (耇街乡) in Changning county (昌宁县). This work will especially benefit those who are interested in the indigenous cultures of ethnic minority groups in southwest China.
译文：本书由两位彝族学者合著，介绍主要发布在云南省西部的彝族“腊罗巴”人的民俗文化。正如书中后记部分中所提到的一样，本研究的田野调查点在彝族“腊罗巴”人聚居较多的昌宁县珠街乡和耇街乡，两位作者在近十年中对当地长者、毕摩、艺人、工匠等进行采访，最终写出这本很有学术价值的专著。如果读者对中国西南地区原生态文化感兴趣，会从该书受益匪浅。
The book has seven chapters which explore, respectively, the Lalo Yi people’s ethnic origins, cuisine, architecture, costumes, childbirth, marriage, and funeral. Chapter one gives a general introduction to the Lalo Yi people. Chapters two to seven are the main body of this book. Chapter two focuses on the native people’s staple food and delicacies prepared with green and organic products; this chapter includes a discussion of the local people’s concept of natural resource preservation, which is reflected in collecting edible plants from mountains, hunting game in forests, and fishing in rivers. Chapter three describes the Lalo Yi people’s carpentry and the rites related to house-building. Chapter four introduces the traditional costume, with special attention to women’s clothes. Chapter five deals with the rituals of birthing and childhood. The next chapter talks about the wedding ceremony. The last chapter elucidates funeral practices. An appendix discusses the preservation of Lalo Yi folk culture. This book contains much genuine, accurate and authentic information about the Lalo Yi people.
译文：本书共分七章，分别讲述彝族“腊罗巴”人的历史起源、美食佳肴、建筑艺术、特色服饰、生育文化和丧葬习俗。第一章对彝族“腊罗巴”人进行总体介绍；第二至七章为该书的主体部分。第二章聚焦“腊罗巴”人的日常饮食和特色佳肴，其中谈到了当地人从深山森林和江河中获取绿色有机食品中所体现出来的人与自然之间和谐理念。第三章描述了彝族“腊罗巴”人的木匠工艺和建房相关的习俗。第四章介绍了传统服饰，重点关注多彩靓丽的妇女服饰。第五章讲述生育、起名和孩童教育及相关的风俗习惯。接下来一章关注彝族“腊罗巴”人的婚恋文化及庆祝仪式。最后一章详述了彝族“腊罗巴”人的丧葬活动。附录部分探讨了彝族“腊罗巴”人民俗文化的保护与传承问题。该书材料详实、内容丰富，全面呈现了彝族“腊罗巴”人的民俗文化。
This work highlights the value of a research approach that is based on the authors’ real life experience and their observations gained as insiders. The authors describe and interpret Lalo Yi folk culture enacted in everyday life. Specifically, they elaborate the local delicacies and cuisine, document the ceremonious activities on the day of erecting the framework during house-building, illustrate the beautiful ethnic clothes, introduce the celebration for the coming of a newborn, describe the folk songs popular in wedding ceremonies, and explain the shamans’ chants at funerals. All these exist in the context of a native society in which both authors had grown up before going to college. They even rediscover extinct artifacts and customs. For example, on page 86 the authors describe the procedures for making a coat with a kind of locally-produced fireweed; people stopped using this unique cloth sometime in last century, yet the authors were able to discover its erstwhile existence after interviewing elders who still had knowledge of it; and on page 210 the authors probe the custom of the “entrusting marriage” (寄婚 Jihun) popular in the past, and explain its unpopularity in modern times. In sum, these core chapters are impressively rich.
译文：本书最大的一个亮点，就是作者的研究源于他们真实的生活体验和作为本族人的敏锐观察和深刻思考。作者描述和解读了彝族“腊罗巴”人日常生活中活灵活现的民俗文化。具体来说，他们详细地介绍当地美食佳肴的备料和制作过程，记录了建新房竖柱上梁当天的各项隆重庆祝活动，展示了丰富多彩的民族服饰，分享一个新生命诞生所带来的喜悦和庆祝，传送出新婚场面的酒歌与祝福，解释葬礼上毕摩口中的的唱词。这些都存在于养育两位作者的彝族“腊罗巴”人村村寨寨中。虽然他们走出大山到外求学工作，但始终情系父老乡亲。更可贵的一点是，他们甚至能挖掘出一些不再流行的传统工艺和习俗。例如，书中第86页作者描述了火草衣的制作工艺。事实上， 现在不再有人穿这种独特的衣服，因为上世纪就已经在彝族“腊罗巴”人中消失了。但是，作者能够从访谈彝族老人的过程中能重新发现这种衣服的原料和制作方法。再如，书中第210页作者挖掘了过去流行的寄婚习俗，解释了在当今社会不再流行的原因。总之，该书的主体章节的内容都很丰富，给读者留下深刻的印象。
However, in chapter one the ethnic origins of the Lalo Yi are not fully clarified. For the most part the authors cite classic Chinese works that record facts about southwestern minority groups. Such records are usually prejudiced and sometimes misleading. Classic Chinese works were principally written or compiled in conformity with orthodox Confucianism, unfavorable to the “uncivilized” or “barbarian” minority peoples, and later revised, recompiled or even distorted and misinterpreted several times in accordance with the specific political context of later dynasties. Moreover, in past millennia the aboriginal groups in southwest China migrated from place to place and had frequent contact with neighboring groups. Therefore, it is inappropriate to trace a certain modern minority group to any of the peoples in such records. It seems more promising to explore the origins of a minority group primarily with the help of anthropological methods while referring to the related Chinese works.
译文：当然，本书第一章中所讲述的彝族“腊罗巴”人的起源问题还可以进一步探讨。作者在这部分中主要引用史书中记载的关于西南地区少数民族的内容。类似的记载内容的可靠性需要进一步商酌。古代历史对边疆“蛮”、“夷”的记载不少有偏见或误导的内容，因为这些族群的风俗习惯不符合儒家正统规范，史书又经历朝历代重新编撰修改，内容缺失和误解的情况时有发生。另一个原因是过去几千年中，西南地区的众多原著民族不断迁徙，相互频繁接触融合。对现代某一族群起源的认识，从现代人类学民族学角度分析的同时也参考历史记载，或许会更深刻一些。
Overall, this book is of great significance for advancing our knowledge on the culture of the Lalo Yi people. This is all the more important, because there was no previous publication of any monograph on the folk culture of this particular Yi subgroup. In addition, with the increasing influence of globalization and the digital revolution, thousands of minority cultures and languages around the world are endangered and extinguished. Undoubtedly, the Lalo Yi folk culture is not an exception. Thanks to the unremitting efforts of the two native scholars, the publication of this book contributes not only to studies of cultural diversity in southwest China, but also to the preservation of an endangered culture.
译文：总体来看，本书在推介彝族“腊罗巴”人的文化上迈出了很有意义的一步。其重要性显而易见，因为这之前还没有出版过一本关于彝族“腊罗巴”人民俗文化的专著。另外，随着全球化进程的加剧，数字革命浪潮的兴起，使得世界上数众多少数民族的语言和文化变得濒危甚至消亡。毫无疑问，彝族“腊罗巴”人的民俗文化也没有例外。所幸的是，在两位作者的不懈努力之下，本书得已出版。这不仅是对中国西南多元文化研究的一个重要贡献，而且还有利于保护和传承民族传统文化。
