Creation song: it is a very old fairy tale song, which mainly tells the origin of heaven, earth, sun and moon and the generation of all things. Such songs include Song of Creation and Song of the Origin of Everything.
Ancestor songs: mainly describe the appearance of human beings, the origin and migration of ethnic groups, such as Song of the Origin of Human Beings and Flood. The theme of this kind of songs is positive and enterprising, which reflects the real history in a tortuous way to some extent and has the value of historical research.
Marriage song: It reflects the evolution of Miao nationality from intermarriage to extramarital marriage, and from matriarchal system to paternal system, and is a rare material for studying marriage history. Among them, the most famous ones are the Marriage of Brothers and Sisters in Qiandongnan, The Song of Wedding, The Marriage of Men and Women, The Song of Remarriage (Women Marry Men), The Song of Receiving the Son-in-law and The Song of Farewell in Zunyi, Northern Guizhou, etc.
Migration song: it exists in a large number among Miao people. Miao people everywhere have their own migration history, so they all have their own migration songs. Among them, the most famous ones are Crossing Mountains and Rivers in Southeast Guizhou, Xiang Xiu Matthew in Songtao Tongren area, Yang Lu dialect in northwest Guizhou, and Gro Ge Sang in Guiyang area. The migration songs of Songtao and Qiandongnan reflect this grand scene and express the fierce struggle between people and between people and nature. It is a heroic epic, which is of great value to the study of Miao history.
Songs and words for discussion: reflect the social organization of the ancient Miao nationality, mainly describe various social ethics and codes of conduct, and persuade people to do good.
Songs of productive labor: everywhere. Among them, Qiandongnan Prefecture is the most complete, with embroidery songs, cotton planting songs, textile songs, batik songs, wine-making songs, shipbuilding songs and so on. The theme is positive, mostly works that encourage people to work hard and create a better life.
Kugger: It is a poem describing class oppression and national oppression. Some people accuse the chief of oppressing the people, others accuse landlords and bullies, and many others accuse the government.
Uprising songs: also known as anti-American songs, mostly accuse the darkness of the old society and praise the people's resistance. For example, the songs of southeastern Guizhou, the Taoxinchun of southern Guizhou and northwestern Guizhou are very representative. This kind of songs are full of passion and fighting spirit.
Love song: It is a song sung by young men and women when they are in love. The writing is subtle and beautiful, full of lyricism. There are confessions, questions and answers, etc. And most of them are expressions.
Because there is no written language, most of the written documents of Miao nationality in history are written in Chinese, and the number is very small. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was only found in Hunan and eastern Sichuan. In recent years, some Miao literati poems have been discovered in Guizhou. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi in Qing Dynasty, Zhang, Zhang, Zhang Mande, a tribute student in Xiaolimeijiang, Daozhen County, were all famous for their works, and wrote Poems of Living in a Shaded Mountain. Poems by Long Shaone, a Miao scholar in Qing Dynasty, were also found in Liangjiang Township, Jinping County, including four volumes of Liangchuan Collection published by 1878, which concentrated the author's main poems. The content mostly describes the local customs of Dong village in Miao township, with strong local flavor. During the Republic of China, Liang Juwu, a famous Miao scholar in Leishan County, also wrote some poems. His political essays are full of the feelings of the oppressed nationalities and reveal the political powerlessness and economic difficulties of ethnic minorities. After the founding of New China, with the care and cultivation of the Party and the government, the Miao people began to have their own writing and literature creation team, and a number of Miao writers emerged. Many of their works have won awards in China, and some of them have been translated and introduced to foreign countries, which have been well received. In the research, collection, collation, translation and publication of folk literature, there are also a group of their own talents, and many achievements have been made.
music
Miao music includes folk songs, lusheng, suona and Qin Xiao, among which folk songs and lusheng are the most common.
Historical songs: mostly sung for middle-aged and elderly people, with recitation form, often singing a paragraph and telling a truth. The lyrics are also very long, ranging from dozens to hundreds to thousands of lines. For example, the song of creation, the song of ancestors' migration, the song of marriage seeking roots, the song of reason and so on. Historical songs are the most complete and representative in Qiandongnan Prefecture, with rich tunes, distinctive beats and powerful.
Love song: A folk song sung by young men and women. Many tunes, soft and lyrical, are usually sung in a low voice. Some places, such as Liuzhi and Qinglong Miao love songs, also have bold features.
Ge Fei: It is named for its high-pitched singing. Generally speaking, young men and women sing in pairs when communicating. Also have a plenty of spare time, in order to express a happy mood, improvisation solo, there are also many people chorus. Even hundreds of meters apart, the audience can clearly hear the lyrics. This kind of song is the most famous in Qiandongnan.
Mourning song: it is a kind of mourning song for the normal death of the elderly. The melody is sad, and the lyrics mean sad. When the singer sings to grief, tears often flow down, and the listener often bursts into tears. There are Miao people in southeast Guizhou, south-central Guizhou, northwest Guizhou and north Guizhou. The mourning songs of Miao people in Liupanshui are quite famous.
Most Miao music tunes are inherited from traditional singing methods. The main achievement of famous singers lies not in the updating of tunes, but in the creation, modification and perfection of lyrics, so the tunes change little. There are famous singers everywhere. The late Tang Dehai, a Miao singer in Leishan County, Qiandongnan Prefecture, is one of the best. I have mastered the traditional singing methods of Miao ancient songs and folk songs and can sing a few folk songs. He wrote thousands of lyrics, including Han Miao's new songs alone 1300.