07.25.11
The Book of the Nishan Shaman 16
See here for a list of previous installments.
The Nishan Shaman deals with her unexpected acquaintance and comes across the hall of Omosi Mama.
06.23.11
Manchu script in modern fashion
Having started summer vacation, I brought my kids up to Jilin to see the relatives for a couple weeks. I skipped down to Beijing for a couple days to meet up with Victor Mair, David Moser, Joel Martinsen, Brendan O’Kane, and Syz. On the way back I had to switch trains in Changchun. I found a cell phone charger and while I was waiting for it to charge, a guy came up and stood near me. I glanced at his t-shirt and was very surprised at what I saw. Read the rest of this entry »
11.23.10
The Book of the Nishan Shaman 15
Previous installments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
While the Nishan Shaman is leading Sergudai Fiyanggo back to the Land of the Living she encounters someone she had not expected to meet.
Read the rest of this entry »
10.23.10
Where the story took place
The story of the Nishan Shaman is generally considered to be a legend, undoubtedly because there is no empirical evidence that shamans can travel to the underworld and raise the dead. But many legends are based on real events. And of course there is a lot of fiction that is set in real places. Based on matching geographical information from the story to real geographical information, I believe I have determined the physical setting of the beginning of the story. Read the rest of this entry »
08.05.10
Manchu Archery in Global Times
The Netherlands’ Peter Dekker studies Manchu archery and has been written up in Global Times.
He also runs a very informative website called Fe Doro (The Old Way).
(Hat tip to Kellen.)
06.18.10
The Book of the Nishan Shaman 14
Previous instalments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
The Nishan Shaman rescues Sergudai Fiyanggo and they are on their way back from the Country of the Dead, but Monggoldai Nakcu chases them to strike a bargain. Read the rest of this entry »
06.03.10
The Book of the Nishan Shaman 13
Previous instalments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
The Nishan Shaman reaches the city of Ilmun Han, and meets Sergudai Fiyanggo’s kidnapper, Monggoldai Nakcu.
05.25.10
The Book of the Nishan Shaman 12
Previous instalments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
The shaman passes different obstacles that appear on her way to rescue the soul of Sergudai Fiyanggo.
04.22.10
Where is Lolo?
As soon as my kids got out of school for the Spring Festival (mid-February), I stuffed them in the car and headed up to Harbin to see the Ice Festival. We passed a village on Route 202 called 拉林 (lālín), and it crossed my mind that with a little phonetic change, maybe it used to be Lolo, the village mentioned in the opening sentence of The Book of the Nisan Shaman. On the way back I stopped there to get some snacks and found that it was a Manchu village and there was Manchu writing on signs everywhere. Read the rest of this entry »
