Thurston, T orcid.org/0000-0002-3671-641X (2022) Remediating Uncle Tonpa: The lives of a Tibetan Trickster in the People’s Republic of China. Yeshe (2022). ISSN 2768-4261
Abstract
In recent years, remediation—appropriating the techniques, forms, and social significance of other cultural forms in a new medium (Bolter and Grusin 68)—has provided indigenous and minority cultural producers around the world with a valuable way to connect traditional knowledge with emerging art forms. Narratives about tricksters in particular have figured prominently in this process, as they seem to simultaneously entertain their audiences and speak to the marginal conditions that many indigenous communities currently experience. One such figure is the Tibetan trickster Uncle Tonpa. Uncle Tonpa impregnates nuns and makes fools of nobles. He swindles the wealthy and gives to the poor. For the majority of Tibetan history, narratives about Uncle Tonpa’s exploits have circulated among Tibetan communities primarily in oral form. In recent years, however, tales about the Tibetan cultural hero have found new life in emerging media portrayals. During the Maoist period, Uncle Tonpa was drafted into the service of the Communist Party, which saw tales of the trickster’s egalitarian economic ethos as proof of a nascent Tibetan class-consciousness. However, since the 1980s, Uncle Tonpa has inspired authors and budding filmmakers in China’s constrained media climate. This paper examines how the remediation of traditional narratives reveals the trickster’s continued relevance for both governmental and vernacular attempts to influence the ongoing negotiation of Tibetan regional and ethnic identities in China.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This item is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Trickster, Uncle Tonpa, Remediation, Tibetan folklore |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) > East Asian Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Aug 2022 12:05 |
Last Modified: | 06 Sep 2022 15:48 |
Published Version: | https://yeshe.org/remediating-uncle-tonpa-the-live... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Tibetan Arts and Literature Initiative |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:189887 |