Dongba art

Dongba art

　　Dongba art refers to the wooden puppets, dough figurines, clay sculptures, and various bamboo and wood woven items made and used by the Dongba during religious rituals. With their unique shapes, vivid realism, and high artistic value.

Dongba sculpture art is primarily demonstrated in the making of wooden puppets, dough figurines, clay figures, and wood carvings. The wooden puppets carved from trees serve as reference models when Dongba create mud and dough masks of gods and spirits for religious ceremonies. Dongba all possess artistically gifted hands and are skilled in carving and sculpting. The various divine wooden puppets they carve include some in deep contemplation, others raising their hands to gaze into the distance, and still others with mouths open as if about to speak. The Dongba wooden puppets wear ritual hats, have sacred beads around their chests, sit upright with bold contours and strong lines.

In over thirty types of Dongba rituals, masks representing gods, spirits, and animals are used. These are made from highland barley flour or wheat flour, totaling about two hundred different types. Dough figurines are generally required to be completed on the evening before the religious ceremony, and a single Dongba can make over a hundred in one night.

Each dough figure has a fixed form but varies in expression. During the ceremonies, god masks are placed on the upper altar, while ghost masks are placed in the lower ghost enclosure. Even among the same type of ghost masks, shapes vary — such as those with snake heads, chicken heads, ox heads, horse heads, or sheep heads. In addition, there are also clay figurines sculpted from mud. These mud and dough figures are created spontaneously and completed in one go by the Dongba, characterized by a simple and bright aesthetic.

The most commendable aspect of Dongba dough figurines, clay figures, and wooden puppets is that the creators do not focus on realistically depicting external appearances. Instead, they use a holistic expressive technique — for instance, eyes may appear as randomly indented holes, and mouths are merely suggested by a slightly open slit. Viewed in detail, these elements seem very simple. But when seen as a whole, the overall form conveys a vivid and lively expression, radiating an inner vitality despite the lack of exact likeness.

The forms of these divine idols are naturally simple and unadorned, with innocent, childlike expressions, ordinary and serene, giving a sense of approachability. There is none of the awe-inspiring, solemn, or lofty aura typical of deities. Some even carry a humorous touch, filled with strong human warmth and everyday life vibes. Their forms reflect the pure, unpretentious temperament of mountain folk.

In the garden of Dongba culture and art, there also appear woodcut printing blocks featuring Dongba script and images of spirits and demons. The primary purpose of the Dongba in making these woodblocks was for printing, which facilitated the widespread dissemination of Dongba cultural and artistic works.