The Buluotuo Scriptures of the Zhuang ethnic group 布洛陀经诗

The Buluotuo scriptures(布洛陀经诗Bùluòtuó Jīngshī) is the primitive religious scriptures of the Zhuang ethnic group of China. It is also the creative epic(a long book, poem, or film, whose story extends over a long period of time or tells of great events) and folk literary work of the Zhuang ethnics in China. The scriptures are the five-word style poem that takes the language and form of poem to sing and praise the feat of creating the earth and the heaven, initiating all the things, arranging the orders of the universe and constituting ethic of Bulongtuo, the ancient god of the Zhuang people. The scriptures tell about the formation of the universe, the origination of human beings and various farm crops and domestic animals as well as the living customs of people in the primitive ages. They also enlighten people to pray, eliminate evils and pursue a happy life. The whole body of the scriptures is as long as ten thousand lines, which can generally be divided into three parts, i.e., creative myth, ethics and religious taboo. Since ancient times, Buluotuo scriptures had been handed down by oral means. Later, while sang and transmitted among people, the scriptures were also conserved by the help of written language of the ancient Zhuang ethnics.

The Buluotuo scriptures is the combination of the myth, religion, ethic and folk customs of the Zhuang ethnics and impressed with the original religious consciousness of physiolatry and ancestor adore. The vivid and exquisite description, romantic and exaggerative techniques and straightforward yet clear general structure all demonstrate the originality of the Zhuang people. Because of sung and processed for hundreds of years, the language is characterized by conciseness and orderliness(if something is done in an orderly fashion or manner, it is done in a well-organized and controlled way) and easy to read. A lot of disappeared ancient languages of the Zhuang ethnics and religions are also retained in the scriptures.

The Buluotuo scriptures reflects the history of human beings to evolve from the age of barbarism when man was eating raw animals and drinking their blood to the agricultural times. It is also an encyclopedia that uncovers the original conditions of the ancestors of the Zhuang people. It is the concentration of the wisdom and experience that the Zhuang people gathered from their production, life and so on through long times.