Award: Documentary Award

Time: November 11-18, 2005
Place: Luojue Village, Heguluo Township, Meigu County, Sichuan, China
Nationality: Yi

BiMo Koradji is originated from the Yi language. Bi means reading scripture; Mo refers to respected scholars. Meigu County is located in the northeast of Liangshan Yi Nationality Autonomous Prefecture. It has a population of 155,000, of which 95% is the Yi ethnic minority group, with as many as 8,000 Bimo Koradji, most in China. Bimo Koradji play an important role in the life of the Yi people, especially admired and esteemed in Yi's spirit world. The Yi language is improved and passed on by Bimo Koradji, who master history, chronometer, geography and spread and influence the whole cultural system of Yi nationality.
BiMo Koradj's life is centered on rituals, for which goats, sheep, pigs, oxen and chickens are used in different ways according to different themes such as cycle sacrifice, atoning sacrifice, burnt offering, and hot stone offering and so on, the purpose for which is to ask god's blessing for peaceful death, safe and healthy to live, flourishing life and harvest.
They use more than ten kinds of special tools for offerings, including lot canister, bell, fan, hat, eagle claw, net bag and so on. Lot canister is made of bamboo with bamboo lots for auspice ceremony; bell is shaken by Bimo Koradji to report to god and ancestors for improving power; eagle claw is the symbol of Bimo's power; the net bag is used to fill in scripture books and tools.
Due to steepness of mountains and the chilly climate, their costumes appear heavy and thick. While in a ritual, they wear a black narrow-sleeved slanting front jacket in Chinese traditional style, chalwar, a knotted towel or a hat wrapping head. Bimo Koradji like to wear a long wide "caerwa" (amice) all through a year, which will be used as coat in the day and quilt during the night. "Caerwa" (amice) includes colours like white, grey or green, with woolen shrinked collar and decorated with tassels at the downside. In "caerwa" (amice) representing the costumes of Liangshan Yi People, Bimo koradji look mighty, handsome and noble,