妹兰：这部动画是一代哈尼族的共同记忆

西双版纳勐宋村是一个紧邻中缅边境的小村庄，主要居住人口为哈尼族。从景洪市出发，经过农田和高山，便能抵达云雾中的勐宋村。才到村口，一排彩色壁画就映入眼帘，讲述着哈尼族的生活方式。

这些壁画出自当地一位村民之手。

今年49岁的妹兰，大约19年前才开始接触绘画。随后，他以哈尼族文化为背景，画出了数以百计的作品。今年春天，妹兰参与了“澜湄之眼”四国少数民族影像技术人才培训项目期间，随后与云南财经大学、云南艺术大学的学生们合制该项目所支持的童谣动画片《忆童年》。

《忆童年》的故事背景是上世纪80年代，试图探讨那时的哈尼族童年生活与哈尼族传统文化之间的关系。而《忆童年》也是一部关于记忆的动画片，它讲述的是妹兰想要留住的记忆，亦是妹兰的一桩心事。

在妹兰看来，哈尼族传统童谣与哈尼族传统生活方式及价值理念的形成息息相关。随着世事变迁，这些童谣也与人们的日常渐行渐远。妹兰知道遗忘不可避免，但还是希望自己可以找到一种能保护和传承哈尼族传统童谣文化的方式。“动画纪录片”正是一个老少皆宜的媒介，或许，这部影片能够鼓励更多人去重视哈尼族的传统文化，让记忆中的民族童谣源远流长。

Q&A：

一 绘画之路

#绘画已经成为我生命中的一部分，也让我拥有了与这个世界对话的机会。

Q：妹兰老师您好！请问您现在的职业是什么？主要的经济来源是什么？

A:我是一个土生土长、普普通通的哈尼族农民，温饱问题主要还是靠务农解决的。画画是30岁之后机缘巧合发展起来的，当我在田地里劳作时，会产生无穷无尽的创作灵感，直到今天它也只是业余爱好。

Q:刚刚您提到您是在30岁以后才接触绘画的，那您是如何走上绘画这条路的呢？

A: 在2000年，云南省生物多样性和传统知识研究会的项目人员找到了我，邀请我在当地项目中做翻译。有一次，当研究人员向当地老人了解哈尼族农耕文化问题时，老人提到的许多传统农具他们都表示未曾见过，巧合的是当时也没有现成的模型可以参考。当时我想，如果把这些哈尼族传统农具画下来，那这些问题是不是就迎刃而解了？于是，在这种机缘之下，我走上了一条绘画的“不归路”。

Q:在您的绘画道路上有没有遇到一些困难？您又是如何克服这些困难的？

A：就像刚才说的，我30岁才开始接触绘画，要说困难主要是心理层面的。在很长一段时间内我完全是自娱自乐，羞于给身边的人看。

其次，画画这么多年，我没有卖过一幅画。当然，我不是抱着功利性的心态在做这件事。但你知道，每个人都希望自己倾注时间的东西得到大家的认可的。

我内心是个追求自由的人，起初萌生画画的想法只是为了方便沟通。但是慢慢地，我发现每画一幅画，我心中的成就感与自豪感就在不断增强。即使这一路走的跌跌撞撞，我也未曾想过要放弃过。

这两年情况有了稍有转变，我画了一些壁画，得到了越来越多的人的认可，算是给过去的自己一点安慰吧。

Q:绘画于你而言意味着什么？

A:绘画给我了很多东西，是无法衡量的。接触到了我们哈尼族的传统文化，然后我又以绘画的方式把哈尼族的传统文化呈现出来。在这个过程里，我觉得绘画已经成为我生命中的一部分，也让我拥有了与这个世界对话的机会。

二 澜湄之眼

#对于哈尼族文化传播来说，动画纪录片是一种创新的模式。

Q:您参与“澜湄之眼”项目的初衷是什么？您希望从项目中收获什么？

A:我参与项目的初衷很简单——我可以借这个平台，用最有效的方式宣传哈尼族的童谣文化。现在的哈尼族小朋友已经对哈尼族童谣没有概念了，我希望通过这个项目完成关于一个童谣的动画纪录片，小朋友们看过之后，能对哈尼族的童谣产生兴趣。

这个动画纪录片是以哈尼族童谣为主体，用动画的方式呈现给大众，这对于哈尼族文化传播来说是一种创新的模式。哈尼族以前没有文字，文化是代代口耳相传传承下来的。因此，现在很多传统文化面临着失传甚至消失的境遇，尤其在童谣方面。会唱哈尼族童谣的人越来越少了，所以我希望借“澜湄之眼”项目的支持，帮助哈尼族童谣文化走出去，走向更远的未来。

Q:您在参与项目的过程中有没有遇到什么棘手的问题？最后是怎么解决的？

A:到目前为止，大大小小的困难也都跨过去了。印象最深刻的就是当初找不到合适的配音人员。现在会唱童谣的人太少了，往往找到之后又觉得不太合适。几经周折后我们找到了同为哈尼族的李冬梅老师，她为了我们推荐了几位合适配音的学生，动画片的配音部分才得以顺利完成。借此机会，我想特别感谢她的支持与帮助。

Q：您觉得参与这个项目有哪些收获？

A:我是个普普通通的农民，绘画只是我的业余爱好，我从未想过我的作品可以以动画的方式呈现出来。

对于我来说，这是极具广泛意义的一件事。同样对于参与此项目的孩子们而言，也是意义非凡的。他们是哈尼族的未来，参与动画录制的这段经历就相当于给他们种下了民族童谣的种子，这恰恰是我们做这个项目的意义所在。

三 哈尼童谣

#也许有一天，它就在我们的注视下消失了。

Q: 可以分享一些您小时候跟民族童谣相关的小故事吗？

A：这部动画片关乎我记忆中的童年，它最终呈现出来的是我们这一代哈尼人的共同回忆。

我们小时候不像现在的孩子可以看电视、玩手机，大家喜欢唱着不完整的童谣穿梭于村野，一边歌唱一边游戏，它是我们这一代人儿时最大的娱乐方式。后来听老人讲，童谣歌曲是哈尼文化的精髓，哈尼祖先为了传承哈尼文化，编成了一曲曲童谣歌曲，一代一代传了下来。

Q：那您觉得现在的小孩对哈尼族童谣的态度是怎么样？跟您们那一代有什么变化吗？产生这些变化的原因是什么？

A：现在的小孩子对哈尼族童谣几乎没有概念了，或者说他们没有机会接触它。一方面时代进步了，他们的成长环境改变了，电子设备几乎“霸占”了他们的童年。另一方面是他们的父母辈也不懂童谣，没有给孩子们接触哈尼族童谣文化的机会。

Q：您如何看待哈尼族童谣未来的发展？

A：在这之前我看不到它的未来在哪里。哈尼族的童谣文化，已经成为了我们这一代人的破碎记忆，也许有一天，它就在我们的注视下消失了。但现在已经有越来越多的人注意到这个现象，并开始整理收集了，我相信它的未来是值得期待的。

Meng Song Village in Xishuangbanna is a small village close to the China-Burma border, mainly inhabited by the Akha ethnic group. From Jinghong, you will pass through farmland and mountains to reach Meng Song Village in the clouds. At the entrance of the village, a row of colorful murals tells the story of the Akha people’s way of life.

The murals are the work of a local villager.

Maer Lanq, 49, only started painting about 19 years ago. Since then, he has painted hundreds of works featuring the Akha culture. This spring, Maer Lanq participated in the Lancang Mekong Vision Minority Anthropological Video Fusion Media Production Programme. Later, he collaborated with students from Yunnan University of Finance and Economics and Yunnan Arts University to produce an animated documentary—Remembering Childhood about the Akha nursery rhymes, supported by the program.

Remembering Childhood is set in the 1980s. It attempts to explore the relationship between Akha's childhood and traditional Akha culture at that time. It is also about the memories that Maer Lanq weighs on his mind, the memories he wants to keep.

In Maer Lanq’s view, traditional Akha nursery rhymes are closely related to the formation of the Akha’s traditional lifestyle and values. As the world has changed, these nursery rhymes have drifted away from people’s daily lives. Maer Lanq knows that oblivion is inevitable, but he still hopes to find a way to preserve and pass on the traditional Akha nursery rhyme culture. The animated documentary can be a suitable medium for both the young and the old. Perhaps, the film will encourage more people to pay attention to the traditional culture of the Akha people and keep the traditional nursery rhymes alive in their memories.

Q&A.

I. The Road to Painting

#painting has become a part of my life and has given me the opportunity to talk to the world.

Q: Hello, Mr. Maer Lanq! May I ask what your current occupation is? What are the main source of income?

A: I was born and raised in the Akha village as a common and ordinary farmer. I mainly rely on farming to provide for my needs. When I was working in the fields, I had endless creative inspirations, but until now, it (painting) is just a hobby.

Q: You mentioned that you started painting after you turned 30, how did you get into painting?

A: In 2000, I was approached by project staff from the Center of Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge invited to work as a translator on a local project. At one time, when the researchers asked local elders about Akha farming culture, we realized that they had never seen many of the traditional farming tools mentioned by the elders. Coincidentally, there were no models available at the time. At that time, I thought, if we could draw a picture of these traditional Akha farming tools, then, wouldn’t these problems be solved? So, by this chance, I am devoted to painting.

Q: Have you encountered any difficulties in your painting? How did you overcome these difficulties?

A: As I just said, I didn’t start to paint until I was 30 years old. I would say the difficulty is mainly psychological for me. For a long time, I was too shy to show my paintings to people around me. So I was completely just enjoying myself. Secondly, I haven’t sold a single painting in all these years. Of course, I’m not doing this with a for-profit mindset. But you know, everyone wants to be recognized for what they put their time into.

I’m a free spirit at heart. At first, the idea of painting was just to facilitate communication. But slowly, I found that with each painting, my sense of accomplishment and pride grew. Even though I have stumbled along the way, I have never thought about giving up.

Things have changed a bit in the past two years. I’ve painted some murals that are getting more and more recognition, which is a little comfort to my past self.

Q: What does painting mean to you?

A: Painting has given me so many things that cannot be measured. I was exposed to the traditional culture of our Akha people, which enabled me to present the traditional culture of the Akha in the form of painting. In this process, I feel that painting has become a part of my life and has given me the opportunity to communicate with the world.

II Lancang Mekong Vision

#Animation documentary is an innovative model for the dissemination of Akha culture.

Q:What was your motivation for participating in the Lancang Mekong Vision project? What do you hope to gain from the project?

A: The reason for me to participate in this project is very simple—I can utilize this platform to promote the Akha nursery rhyme culture in the most effective way. Nowadays, Akha children have no idea about Akha nursery rhymes. I hope through this project, I can make an animation about the nursery rhyme, which can make children interested in Akha nursery rhymes after watching it.

This documentary takes the Akha nursery rhyme as the main theme and presents it to the public in an animated way, which is an innovative way for the dissemination of Akha culture. The Akha people used to have no writing. Therefore, culture was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. That is also the reason why many traditional cultures are now endangered, or even dead, Akha nursery rhymes being an example. People who can sing Akha nursery rhymes is getting fewer. So I hope that with the support of the Lancang Mekong Vision project, the Akha nursery rhyme culture can reach out to the world and go further into the future.

Q: Have you encountered any problems during your participation in the project? What was the final solution?

A: So far, all kinds of difficulties have been overcome. The most memorable thing is that I couldn’t find the right voice person at first. Nowadays there are too few people who can sing nursery rhymes. But when we find them, it was too often that he or she was not the right person we are looking for. After a series of attempts, we found an Akha teacher, Ms. Li Dongmei, who recommended some suitable voice students for us. Thanks to her, we were able to complete the dubbing part of the animated documentary. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank her for her support and help.

Q: What have you gained from participating in this project?

A: I am an ordinary farmer, drawing is just my hobby. I never thought my work could be presented in the form of animation. For me, this is something of significance. It also means a lot to the children involved in this project. They are the future of the Akha people. The experience of participating in the animation is like planting seeds of ethnic music in them, which is exactly the value of this project.

III Akha nursery rhymes

# Maybe one day it will disappear under our eyes.

Q: Can you share some of your childhood stories related to ethnic nursery rhymes?

A: This animated documentary is about the childhood I remember. What has been finally shown is the collective memory of our generation of Akha people.

When we were young, unlike today’s children, we could not watch TV or play with our mobile phones. We liked to sing incomplete nursery rhymes and travel through the village. Singing while playing games was the biggest entertainment for our generation. Later, I heard from the elders that nursery rhymes are the essence of Akha culture. In order to preserve Akha culture, the Akha ancestors made up a series of nursery rhymes and songs and passed them down from generation to generation.

Q: What do you think about the attitude of children towards Akha nursery rhymes nowadays? How has it changed from your generation? What are the reasons for these changes?

A: Children nowadays have little idea of Akha nursery rhymes, or rather they have no exposure to them. On the one hand, time passed, their living environment has been changed, electronic devices have almost “taken over” their childhood, on the other hand, their parents don’t know about much nursery rhymes as well, therefore, can’t give their children the opportunity to be exposed to Akha nursery rhyme culture.

Q: What do you think about the future development of Akha nursery rhymes?

A: I can’t see where its future lies until then. The Akha nursery rhyme culture has become a shattered memory of our generation. Maybe one day, it will disappear under our eyes. But now, more and more people are noticing the phenomenon and starting to collect and archive it. I believe its future is worth looking forward to.