Mosuo Song Journey/泸沽湖纪行：寻找母亲的歌谣

I want to share a piece of good news with you. An elder teacher Mr. Shi from Labai Village received the provincial �Excellent Teaching Adward 2007�in Yunnan Province. Shi gained recognition for his life-long teaching and contribution to the youth education in his village. For the past decades, Shi’s been the only teacher at the only school of the village. There is only Grade one and Grade Two students in the school.

Shi has been invited to come to Kunming for the award ceremony and a nice one-week retreat.When I heard this wonderful news from the Mosuo writer Lamu Gatusa this morning, Mr.Shi was staying in Lamu�s house in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan. Lamu, in his forties now, was one of Shi�s early students from that village.

(View Mr.Shi’s Teaching Video)
When I was filming my documentary back in 2004, Lamu took Carol and me to meet his teacher Mr. Shi at his elementary in Ge Village. Ge Village is one of the branch villages under Labai Village. The students� enthusiastic reading sounds led us into a yard with a clean mud floor, some trees and blossoming flowers. There was only one room at this school. The room was divided into two parts for two classes. Since there was no electricity, one side of the wall had been changed into a lower fence. So that the light could come in for the students.

Shi told me that he might retire in two years. �But I will try to keep healthy and continue to teach after that. I don�t want to leave my lovely young pupils.� Said Shi.

When I was leaving Labai village, Lamu�s sister Gujia gave me a piece of linen cloth her late mother had made. She said that she wanted to give me a piece of cloth with more colors. But this was the only kind left made by her mother. The presence of that cloth has made a special connection for Carol and me with the Mosuo people’s singing about making linen cloth.

Mosuo Song of Making Linen Cloth

(Collected by Lamu Gatusa from Labai Village)

When I was young, my mother taught me to weave linen.
We chose proper flax seeds,
plowed the soil carefully,
took good care of the flaxes.
When the flaxes grew tall,
we carried the plow to harvest the seeds.
Put the seeds to dry out in the sun.
Immersed the dried stems in the pond.
When the stems were soaked up,
we peeled the skin.
We fixed the fiber with our mouths,
and rub it with our hands.
twirled the fiber into strands.
Twisted the strands into threads with the spindle.
Wound the threads in loose balls.
Then bleached the linen threads with water mixed with ash from the stove.
As Linen threads shine like white snow,
the girls who wind the threads feel so happy.
We wind the threads into bobbins,
then weave it into the linen cloth with a loom.
Finally we make clothes with the linen.
People who wear linen,
please be aware it is not easy to weave this fabric.

—-The mother looks bright in children�s hearts for the whole life

Popular in labo Village in Ninglang
Sung by Bima Awu, Cai�er Lamu, Gudanmi, Cideng
Collected by Gacuso Lamu

The brightest moon only lasts for five days,
The mother looks bright in children�s hearts for their whole lives.

There are people as numerous as stars in the world,
There is nobody as lovely as my mother.

However smart others� mothers are,
They are not my mother.

There are many smart people in the world,
But none can match the wisdom of my mother

Oh, my loving mother,
Follow your children wherever they go.

There are many good dancers in the world,
But none can compete with my mother�s beautiful dance.

Once I met Lugu Lake,
It was as if I met my mother.

Though my mother has passed away,
People will compliment her forever.

There are many poor mothers in the world,
But you can never find one without a kind heart.

You can find more wealth after you use it up,
But you will never find another mother.

The grass on the hill looks so green,
It is like my mother when she was young.