Manuscript for Inviting Dongba Shiluo from the Eighteenth Layer of Heaven
This manuscript serves to invite Dongba Shiluo, the founding ancestor of the Dongba religion, to descend from the heavens to the mortal realm to subdue malevolent spirits. Rather than specifying the exact eighteen layers of heaven, it describes them broadly as the realm where Dongba Shiluo dwells. A key characteristic of the text is its composition with a copper pen. Copper pens were employed by early Nakhi Dongba ritualists to write scriptures, a practice that has gradually faded in recent years. Characters written in this manner generally exhibit finer, more uniform strokes. Dongba script, mostly made up of pictographic glyphs, achieves exceptional elegance when written with a copper pen and its distinctive technique.
- Item No.
- A MS-058
- Notes
- Nakhi ethnic group
