Manchu and Evanki Creation Stories
Religious Fables, Folklore, Legends, and Stories
From All Creatures Articles Archive

Submitted by Yuri Klitsenko, Russia

I have published in Russian some Manchu creation stories, collected by Chinese professor Wang Hong-Gang.

http://www.inauka.ru/blogs/article88682.html 

It is interesting how some shaman rituals, songs and dances are connected with creation myths. Evenki shaman tent also illustrates cosmologies.

A girl (shamaness) turns into waterfowl bird, hovers over waters and dives into the ocean to participate in creation.

The figure of Mother Delike, Goddess of the East Sea, is drawn on the upper face of shaman's drum. Samaness playing role of Mother Delike dances with water and with multi-colored stripes.

Mother Hehe Manni creates the universe by drumming. Hehe Manni took a piece of sky and turned it into a tambourine; then she made a towering mountain as her drumstick. When the sky and mountain rock collided, men and women and all others came into being accompanying the big bang.

Mother Wubuxiben creates universe by beating shaman's drum. The first drum beat created the blue sky, the second beat created the yellow earth, the third created the white water etc. I think that her drum beats were accompanied by dancing and singing.

It is impossible to understand who is "Russian scholar Si-Te-En-Bao" mentioned by Wang Hong Gang as a specialist on Evenki culture. I don't know any Russian called Si-Te-En-Bao, certainly Russian name was changed for strange Chinese transcription.

Yuri Klitsenko is a Russian living in Moscow.  He works for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Go on to: Missionaries Used "Govorka"
Return to: Religious Fables, Folklore, Legends, and Stories