On both sides of the beautiful and mysterious upper reaches of the Minjiang River, there lives a very ancient ethnic group, the Qiang people. They mainly live in the high mountains and valleys of Wenchuan, Maoxian and Lixian in Aba Prefecture. The hardworking and brave ancient Qiang people are not only famous for their unique and exquisite architectural skills, but also for their exquisite embroidery and singing and dancing. Among the many dances, the "Sheepskin Drum Dance" has the longest history. According to historical records, the "Sheepskin Drum Dance" was originally a religious dance performed by the Qiang "Shibi" during rituals, and later evolved into a folk dance. "Shibi" is also called "Xu" or "Abba Xu". It is a religious teacher who is not separated from agricultural production. He is not only the host of primitive religious activities, but also the disseminator of Qiang culture and art. There is one in almost every Qiang village. Activities such as offering sacrifices to mountains, restoring, calming the spirits, exorcising ghosts, curing diseases, removing filth, summoning souls, eliminating disasters, as well as the marriage of men and women, the naming of newborn babies, the burial and salvation of the dead, etc., are inseparable from them. The role of wizard is limited to men, and they can get married and start a family. They have no religious organizations or temples, but they worship the ancestors of all generations and the "monkey-headed boy". Why did the "sheep-skin drum dance" have such a long history and become so popular? Legend has it that the god Abamuna brought many scriptures used in various sacrificial sites. Due to fatigue from the journey, he fell asleep during his rest. When he woke up, all the scriptures were eaten by a goat. When he was anxious, the golden monkey on the tree said to him: "The goat has eaten your scriptures. You should kill the goat quickly and make a drum with the goat's skin. When you perform rituals, beat the sheep-skin drum and 1 will come out of your mouth." This method really worked. In order to thank the golden monkey, Abamuna wore a golden monkey skin hat when performing rituals. From then on, the monks would dance the "sheep-skin drum dance" when they worshipped the monkey-headed master or performed rituals. The "sheep-skin drum dance" was originally a sacrificial dance. It is also called "jumping scriptures", which the Qiang people called "Moerdasha", and later evolved into a folk dance. It vividly reflects the living conditions, religious beliefs and inner world of the ancient Qiang people. The sheepskin drum has a wooden frame covered with sheepskin on one side. The frame is about 11 cm high and the drumhead is 3840 cm in diameter. There is a crossbeam inside the frame. The drum body is connected to a bow-shaped wooden handle, with a sheep's head carved on the top and two silk colored tassels tied to the bottom. The drumstick is made of rattan or fir (called "erwote" in Qiang language), hook-shaped, about 58 cm long, with silk wrapped around the head and colored tassels on the handle. The reformed Qiang leather drum is covered with double layers of sheepskin on one side, with striped patterns painted on the outside of the drum frame and colored silk tassels around the drum frame. Sacrificial activities are usually held in the sacred forest of each village, led by the Shibi, who wears a golden monkey skin hat with pheasant feathers and colored paper strips, and holds a copper ring plate, a magic stick, and colorful flags. The dancers hold sheepskin drums while their knees are shaking constantly, and perform the "Shangyang Step" (commonly known as "Yubu Dance" or "Cripple Dance") continuously, such as "holding the drum around the head", "bending the legs and rotating left and right", and "swinging the hips". The monk recites "Shangtan Sutra", "Zhongtan Sutra", and "Xiatan Sutra" for 1, 1 minutes. The more famous ones include "Mubita Creates the World" reflecting the origin of mankind, "Chiji Gebu" praising heroes, and "Qiang Ge Battle", a narrative poem reflecting the migration of ethnic groups. The rest of the dancers follow behind, accompanied by leather drums and bells. The whole dance is a mixture of drums and bells, and the movements are agile, vigorous, and fierce, with a brisk rhythm, creating a serious, tense and warm atmosphere. "Sheepskin Drum Dance" is a manifestation of the spiritual culture of the Qiang people, an important material for studying the history of the Qiang people, and has a strong national characteristic. Since the 1980s, the Sichuan Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, Aba Prefecture Song and Dance Troupe, Maoxian Song and Dance Troupe and Wenchuan County Yangjiaohua Amateur Art Troupe have choreographed a series of "Sheepskin Drum Dance" programs, which have been recorded and broadcast by provincial and state television stations. Therefore, "Sheepskin Drum Dance" has unique artistic value and is an important part of Qiang culture and art. "Sheepskin Drum Dance" is agile, agile and rough dance, and is mostly performed in a counterclockwise circle. The lead dancer wears a golden monkey fur hat, holds a magic stick on his left shoulder, and holds a copper bell in his right hand. Other performers hold sheepskin drums, and the number of people is generally 68. Because the drum is large and heavy, it is difficult to dance. The swing of the drum depends on the performer's body rotation, accompanied by the up and down shaking of the knees, forming a unique style. This dance generally has no music, no singing and dancing, and is composed of different sound rhythms struck by the drum beats and the sound plate. In the 1960s and 1970s, Wenchuan's "Sheepskin Drum Dance" team performed in Beijing many times and was highly praised by national leaders such as Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou. In recent years, with the popularization of "Shibi Culture Research" and "Tibetan-Qiang Guozhuang", "Sheepskin Drum Dance" has become more popular in Wenchuan County, especially in Aer Village, Baduo Village, Mafang Village, Zhitai Village in Longxi Township, Luobu Village, Yueli Village in Yanmen Township, and Qiangfeng Village in Mianwei Town. If Qiang songs and dances are a glass of mellow wine, then the dongdongdong "Sheepskin Drum Dance" is a classic epic! (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)