The Image of Dragon in the Collection of Prayer-books Made from Buong Leafs of the Cham People

Abstract

Based on the field data and a number of texts, the writing presented the image of dragon discovered newly in the collection of prayer-books made from the buong leafs, in funeral ceremonies and designs on the embroidered fabrics of the Cham people. Specifically, through the prayer-books made from buong leafs, we could see dragon species and rites worshiping of dragons of Cham people performed in the rituals for wiping out land, house, temple and towers including the ritual for sacrificing the fire spirit. The dragons of the Cham people include the male and female ones with their diverse colors dwelling everywhere. Although it not been carved and drawn in temples, pagodas like of the Viet people and Chinese-Vietnamese, the image of Cham dragons always has been the symbol of kingship, spiritual power, the power of king, lords and nobles of the Cham ethnicity. Especially, the Cham dragons in Ahiér funeral ceremony also has been under influence of many features of Indian dragons, meaning besides the local feature - the origin of Southeast Asian residents, the Cham dragons also have been mixed with the Indian fetishes.