Literature Dulong

The complex spiritual world of the Dulong is sustained in a numerous oral narrative in which there are myths that explain the original reason of each of the activities sanctioned by his tradition. Most of these myths depart from the myth of the creation of the world.

In this one, there is narrated the emergence of the man and the culture Dulong on the ground. Several parts can differ. In the first one the creation of the man is narrated by Gamei and Gashao from mud. In the second one there is told how the ant broke the stairs for which the men were rising to the sky to be communicated with the gods, finishing with this communication. The third part narrates as the hunter shoots to the sun that threatens the life on the ground. The fourth one narrates the combat between the men and the demons and the country house the deluge that finishes with everything what exists.

The birth of the humanity begins with this creation of the first two persons from the mud. The creators are two gods Gamei and Gashao. The first persons are Pu and Mu, the first father and the first mother. This creation of the first two parents of the humanity on the part of two undifferentiated gods possibly a primitive society reflects diádica, as described for the Lahu for Du Shanshan (1) in that an absolute genre equality existed.

Connecting with this fundamental mythological cycle, there are the histories of Penggenpeng, the civilizing hero of the Dulong.

Penggenpeng is born of the interior of a big tree, one day is the god of the sky that offers him to his daughter in marriage whenever it overcomes some tests. To take a viper without being bitten, gathering honey without being stung, climbing a big tree without falling down. Penggenpeng overcomes the tests and receives his daughter in marriage. The god gives them several gifts like dowry, between them all the wild animals, but for disobeying his orders the animals escape. Penggenpeng can only catch a few, his progeny is the domestic animals of the Dulong. They must go out for the others to hunt them in the mountain.

(1) Du Shanshan. Chopsticks only work in pairs.

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