The Soul of the Maple Tree, the Birth of the Butterfly
Among the layered peaks of southeastern Guizhou, the ancestors of the Miao people used ballads as brushes and clothing as scrolls to pass down an ancient story about the origin of life from generation to generation. There are no written records, but totems embroidered on the hems of garments and chants sung during the Guzang Festival tell the legend of Meix Bangx Meix Liux—Butterfly Mother, the founding ancestor and the twelve eggs. This legend holds the deepest reverence for life and the cultural roots of the entire nation.
The story begins in the chaos of the primordial world. At that time, mist and clouds filled the mountains and wilds, currents swirled around the starry river, and raindrops fell onto the dust, nurturing a towering maple tree. This maple was no ordinary plant; it carried the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and was a sacred totem in the hearts of the Miao ancestors. The Ancient Songs of the Miao sing: “There is the trunk of the maple, there is the heart of the maple; from the trunk grows Meix Bangx, from the heart grows Meix Liux, the ancient old mother.” In the Miao language, Meix Bangx Meix Liux…refers to Butterfly Mother. Born from the veins of the maple tree, she carried the warmth of plants and the elegance of heaven and earth, becoming the first spiritual butterfly in the world.
Twelve Eggs, Birthing All Things
Butterfly Mother fluttered between heaven and earth, feeding on dew and rainwater, and hunting fish in Jimei Ancient Pond. Ladybugs as big as straw hats and loaches as thick as warehouse pillars were all her food. One day, she met the floating bubbles on the water.
In the affection of “Youfang” (love) in the Miao language, she knew and stayed with each other.
She then laid twelve full and round eggs. These twelve eggs harbored the embryonic forms of all living beings, yet they required a long incubation period. Until a divine bird named “Jiao Yu Niao” (the Broad-Winged Bird) appeared, it spread its broad wings to keep the eggs warm. After twelve long years, it finally helped them hatch.
True to its trust, the Jiao Yu Niao stayed by the eggs day after day, year after year, nurturing the hope of these twelve lives with its body heat. Seasons turned, and through twelve full years of perseverance, the eggshells eventually cracked open. What was born from the eggs were not identical beings, but twelve “brothers” with distinct personalities—the Thunder God who controls lightning, the Dragon who roams the deep water, the Tiger who gallops through the mountains, the Water Buffalo who tills the fields, as well as the Miao ancestor Jiang Yang, and beings like snakes, elephants, and centipedes. Descending into the world with their respective talents, the Thunder God ruled the weather in heaven, the Dragon governed water affairs in the deep pools, the Tiger safeguarded the four directions in the forests, while Jiang Yang stayed on the flat land, initiating the chapter of human reproduction.
The Revelation of Life
This myth is not fabricated out of thin air; it has long been integrated into the fabric of Miao life…
…in every detail. Since Butterfly Mother was born from the maple tree, the maple has become one of the most sacred totems of the Miao people. In the Miao villages of southeastern Guizhou, “one maple tree” symbolizes “one ancestor.” Maples are planted beside villages, at bridgeheads, and on field ridges to pray for peace, protection, and a bountiful harvest. When building houses, maple wood is used for the central pillar, in the hope of prosperous descendants. If a family member is chronically ill, they burn incense and hang red ribbons on the maple tree, earnestly praying to expel evil and cure illness.
The butterfly, in particular, has become a faith etched into the bloodline. On the garments, silver jewelry, and batik of Miao women, vivid butterfly patterns can always be seen—some with human heads and butterfly bodies, others with colorful wings fluttering. Every stitch and thread speaks of reverence for Butterfly Mother, praying for the ancestor’s blessing on the prosperity of descendants.
The most solemn expression of this faith is found in the Guzang Festival, held once every thirteen years. This grand four-year festival has its roots in the worship of Butterfly Mother. Legend has it that after Butterfly Mother passed away, Jiang Yang, to honor the ancestor’s kindness, carved a wooden drum from maple wood. Since the maple was where Butterfly Mother was born, the drum became the resting place of the ancestors, and ancestor worship thus became drum sacrifice. During the festival, the Miao people slaughter bulls and sing the Song of the Butterfly Mother, using the most pious rituals to thank Butterfly Mother for birthing all living things, and to pray for a bountiful harvest and thriving livestock for the village. The drumbeats have traversed a thousand years, a tribute to the founding ancestor and a steadfast commitment to the nation’s cultural roots.