**11. The Tali Tree**

The function of the tali tree ritual was to dispel the evil spirits and curses that haunt the family (Figure 8). Unlike the house cleaning ritual earlier in the year, this and the following ritual delve into the historical and ancestral curses. The evil spirits and all the curses they embody must be called up and purged before a water buffalo sacrifice. This tree is also considered sacred because of its function and is part of a cultivated forest of spirit trees. "It also takes a long time to establish an intimate spiritual relationship with the mountain by worshipping the spirits and for the integration of the 'implanted' spirits and the naturally living spirits of the land" (Wang 2011, p. 133).

**Figure 8.** Badai Yang during the first part of the tali tree ritual. (Photo: Thomas Riccio).

The locally found tali tree is an evil attractor because the Miao consider it accursed. After all, it is rare, difficult to burn, and has no fruit or practical application. "If you see that kind of tree in the woods, you need to cut it because it is cursed, you must not let it grow. It is a symbol of the cursed and that is why it is used" (C. Shi 2018b).

An altar table was set with a rice bowl stuck with incense offerings (Figure 9). On either side of the bowl were two empty bowls face down, later filled with rice offerings. At the edge of the table facing away from the house was a series of paper flags of different colors, representing protecting spirits and serving as a fence for the altar against evil spirits.

A hemp rope hung with more flags and anthropomorphic figures extended from the table, representing evil spirits and protecting gods (Figure 10a). The rope was attached to a tali tree branch (approximately three meters high) and symbolized a bridge that linked present and ancient generations of the family (Figure 10b). Also on the rope, interspersed between the paper figures and flags, were looped "hooks" made of bamboo and meant to capture evil.

**Figure 9.** The table altar setting for the first phase of the tali tree ritual. (Photo: Thomas Riccio).

In ancient times, many generations ago, there was a curse. It is said that the curse would continue for ninety-nine generations. But we do not know when that curse started, so we do not know the duration, and so we do not know if we are in that curse or not. It is to protect the family. To ensure that that curse will not hurt them, we need to do the tali ritual to protect the family. Since we do not know which generation has the curse, we use the rope as a symbol for all ninety-nine generations and use the hooks on the rope to separate the curse's effects because you do not know which generation is affected by the curse. The hooks are to block the effects of the curse from ancient times. At the end of the bridge is the altar, the paper symbolic of protecting spirits, so today is completely separated from the ancient time (Tian 2018b).

If the ritual is practiced at night, as few as five flags are required. If performed during the daytime, more flags are required to attract evil spirits, which are said to travel more at night and require fewer flags and hooks to attract them.

The tali tree altar is built outside the house to prevent spirits from entering the house. Yang took the animals into the house again during the ritual to attract evil spirits with a living sacrifice. "When the spirits are ready, they will make the sacrifices at the altar" (Yang 2018b).

While Yang was inside circling with the goat, Shi posted bamboo sticks topped with red flags around the altar to further entice and capture evil spirits. To make sure the spirits do not escape the boundary of the altar, he sets a trap. Yang then circles clockwise around the altar, ringing a bell with a low chant, "whispering to attract the evil spirits." This action is consistent with the Miao preoccupation of "possible invasions, attacks and interventions on all sides, and it points to the tension with their neighbors. This spiritual boundary is maintained through worship in daily life and important festivals. Worshipping and the relevant rituals not only cultivate Miao's intimate relationship with the land but also strengthen the spatial boundary and their ideas of resisting outsiders" (Wang 2011, p. 132).

The bell is symbolic of the uncle-in-law who witnessed the ritual and will oversee the sacrifice of the goat. The goat's throat was slit, and its blood drained at the altar. The final action of the ritual was an offering of rice followed by the cleaning of the rice bowls with peach water. The rice and the water used to clean the bowls were contaminated and

dumped in a nearby wooded area. The table was then wiped with peach water and deemed clean and safe.

**Figure 10.** (**<sup>a</sup>**,**b**) The tali tree altar. (**b**) Note the tali tree branch and the anthropomorphic figures symbolizing spirits. (Photo: Thomas Riccio).
