Water Wave Pattern and Gammadia of Miao

 Water Wave Pattern

As one of the oldest ethnic groups in China, the Miaos has their own perception of the origin of the universe. Steam and cloud are two of the oldest matters in Miaos’ perception of the world so they naturally appear on the rims of the figures as ornamentation, which arrangement coincides with the knowledge that vapor and cloud are at the end of the world.

 Gammadia

 Gammadia is widely used in Ancient India, Greece and Persia as it is regarded as the symbol of Sun or Fire, later it is adopted by Buddhism as blessing symbol. In the past the scholars thought the Gammadia was brought in from India together with Buddhism. But archaeological founding show that the color potteries of Neolithic times unearthed in Gansu and Qinghai in Northwest China have Gammadia on them.

 The fact the Gammadia is widely found in Miao daily life excludes our effort to verily it from ancient times or brought in from the Han people areas. The innotation of brightness, blessing and prosperity of Gammadia at least promoted by Shamanism.

hancheng

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