Now, the descendants of Tujia people in Hubei and Hunan think that they are descended from the white tiger. They worship the white tiger from generation to generation, and they never forget to worship it everywhere. A white tiger carved with wood is enshrined in the shrine of every household all the year round. When getting married, the man should lay a tiger blanket on the generous table in the main hall, symbolizing the sacrifice to the tiger ancestors.
Legend has it that three brothers of Tujia ancestors were burly and brave, and they were recruited by the emperor to fight for meritorious service. They should have been promoted to rank and knighthood, but the emperor was suspicious and afraid that the three tigers would rebel and seize the country, so he poisoned them with wine. After the death of the three brothers, the ghost lingered and turned into three white tigers making a scene in the golden palace. The emperor was so frightened that he sealed all kinds of gods, and the white tigers lingered; Later, the white tiger was made the king of the white emperor, and he was proclaimed emperor on an equal footing with the emperor, and a temple was set up for sacrifice. The three white tigers only nodded three times and left smartly.
When Tujia people offered sacrifices to their ancestor Tiger King, they were presided over by the native wizard "Tima", who danced with their hands and put the tiger skin in the center of the sacrifice table, inviting the tiger God to come and enjoy it. When dancing with hands, you should put on tiger skin, and if there is no tiger skin, you should put on a brocade quilt, which symbolizes the colorful, gorgeous and precious tiger skin.
With the spread of the myth of the white tiger, the custom of Tujia people worshiping the white tiger is also manifested in all aspects and has become an important part of Tujia culture. In addition to religious worship, white tigers can be seen everywhere in Tujia people's lives. For example, the Qian, Ge and Jian held by Tujia ancestors in ancient times were all carved with tiger heads or patterns. Most of the patterns on the flags held by Tujia wizards when they lead the waving dance are tiger-shaped; There are white tigers carved on the top of the door of Tujia building and tiger heads cast by knockers. Its intention is to use the tiger's glory to drive away evil and town evil, and look forward to peace and happiness.
In the local chronicles of counties compiled in western Hubei and western Hunan, all the Tujia names recorded often bear the word tiger. Nowadays, many people still like to be named after tigers. Children should wear shoes embroidered with tiger's head and a tiger's head hat, and the quilt in the cradle should be embroidered with the pattern of "cat's footprint", which means "cat" or "tiger". Pan Guangdan once wrote in the article "Tujia people in northwest Hunan and ancient Ba people": "White tiger was the ancestor of children, and ancestors must care for their grandchildren".
In the past, there was a dispute among the people. Some people felt wronged and wronged, but the officials could not make a clear decision. The two parties agreed to drink cat blood wine and swore: "If you wronged me, I would be furious; If I wronged you, I would die nine times. " In this way, regardless of the size of the case, drinking cat blood wine will disappear and never repent. Cats are known as tigers. Drinking cat blood means drinking tiger blood. Dare to drink tiger blood, which means that the blood relationship with Tiger Jun is not broken. He is an authentic descendant of Tiger Jun and has not done anything to live up to him. If you have done something wrong, you will not dare to drink cat blood wine, go near the shrine, your hands and feet will tremble and your whole body will tremble. Afterwards, you must kill a pig and offer a blood sacrifice to repent and beg its forgiveness.
According to historical records, Hu Jun always puts national interests first, does not covet personal safety and comfort, and leads his nation to keep advancing. When King Wu of Zhou Dynasty attacked Zhou, Tujia ancestors firmly supported and helped King Wu win. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese invaders invaded the southeast coast, and thousands of Tujia soldiers went to the front line to fight against the Japanese invaders, and they fought hand-to-hand with the Japanese pirates in Jiaxing and won a great victory. In the Agrarian Revolution, War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Tujia children shed blood and sacrificed their lives, and made great achievements in defending the territorial integrity of the motherland and people's liberation.
Myth plays a nurturing and casting role in the formation of a nation's mind and personality characteristics. Its vitality is strong because those simple and beautiful cultural factors are always hidden in folk art and still shine in today's civilized society.