In the "Baiyi Biography" written by Qian Guxun in the Ming Dynasty, it is recorded that "the sheepskin is used as a three-five long drum, and it is clapped with hands". This "Three-Five Drum" is exactly the elephant-foot drum of the Dai nationality in Yunnan with a strong drum sound. In the 2022 CCTV Spring Festival Gala dance "Put Out a Spring", elephant foot drums with very ethnic characteristics also appeared, making the show shine.
Elephant foot is one of the most typical and oldest musical instruments of the Dai nationality. It is named for its resemblance to an elephant foot. It is widely used in singing and dancing and accompaniment to Dai opera. Its shape is thick at the top and thin at the bottom, in the shape of a trumpet. The unique shape makes the drum sound produce a wonderful resonance, like rolling spring thunder, with a long lingering sound that lasts for a long time. Regarding the origin of the elephant foot drum, there is a very interesting story among the Dai folks: in ancient times, because of a dragon doing evil, the Dai area was plagued by floods every year. Later, with the help of villagers, a brave Dai youth successfully killed Jiaolong. People peeled off the skin of the dragon and made it into a drum with the feet of a white elephant, which symbolizes auspiciousness. From then on, the sound of elephant foot drums resounded throughout the Dai villages, and the cheerful rhythm expressed the joy of the Dai people, and also implied their yearning for a better life.
Jinggu is famous for its elephant-foot drum technique. Its production process is complicated. It needs to use a whole piece of wood to beat out the drum body, then use cowhide to make the drum head by hand, and use pure natural pigments to paint exquisite paintings. All the processes are completed in one go. It takes about 3-4 months for an elephant foot drum to be made from tree selection to production. Generally, Chinese toon tree, willow tree, locust tree, thorn tree, panzhihua tree, cow's voice tree and other trees are used as raw materials for making. Now Mango trees are mostly used. Because Jinggu is known as the "hometown of mangoes", the Jinggu elephant foot drum made of mango trunks gives the drum a fuller meaning. In the process, 30 processes including internal hollowing and grinding, external chiseling and grinding, texture carving, masking the drum surface, and painted decoration are required to produce an elephant foot drum with excellent sound quality and sound. At present, the production skills of elephant foot drums have been included in the fifth batch of intangible cultural heritage protection list of Pu'er City, all of which contain the ingenuity, perseverance and inheritance of the craftsmen.
The Dai people respect foot drums very much. In their hearts, the elephant foot drum is not only a musical instrument, but also a mascot of the Dai people, a thing with life and soul. After the noble and respected generation in the clan passed away, the elephant foot drum was buried as a special sacrifice. Elephant foot drums are often used to worship gods, drive away disasters and avoid evil spirits, and celebrate good harvests. Every grand festival of the Dai nationality, people will invite elephant foot drums, wear colorful drum clothes with decorations on the body of the drums, and dance happily while beating the drums. It can be said that there is no sound of elephant foot drums. , where there are happy crowds.
In the ethnic culture tour of Xikang Yunshe Sandian, you can truly enter the Jinggu Dai village, experience the traditional ethnic culture and customs, and immerse yourself in the ingenuity of the "intangible cultural heritage" elephant foot drum in Jinggu, Yunnan. Open the long volume of intangible cultural heritage, explore the scenery and customs of southern Yunnan, follow in the footsteps of Yunshe, visit Jinggu Mengwo Zongfo Temple, and pay tribute to the wonders of the Chinese Pagoda Forest, which is a unique "pagoda wrapped in trees, trees wrapped in pagodas". Then visit the non-heritage production site of elephant foot drum. When the drum sounds, time seems to be frozen here, and the tired body and mind in the city will wake up. In the bursts of drums, you can feel the enthusiasm of the Dai people. Warmth and best wishes.
Xikang Yunshe will bring you a joyful journey of exploration. Every time you arrive at a destination, you will be greeted with the brightest smile and the most simple and sincere hospitality of ethnic minorities. In the ever-changing years, the Elephant Foot Drum has witnessed the changes in the lives of the Dai people, and has been completely integrated into the daily life of the Dai people. It has become an effective carrier for the spread of Dai culture, constantly creating and enriching the cultural connotation of the Dai people!