The Myth of the Manchurian Hero Epic Ubusiben Mama(烏布西奔媽媽) Approached from the Perspective of “Wisdom”

The tradition of wisdom, which has a different background from the discourses of wisdom formed based on Christianity and Greek philosophy, remains in the ethnic minority societies of China. Despite the fact that the myths of ethnic minorities are based on their wisdom of surviving in harsh environments, “wisdom” has not been a subject of full-scale discussion in the history of East Asian mythology studies. This paper explores the possibility of studying East Asian mythology within the category of “wisdom literature” by using the Manchurian heroic epic Ubusiben Mama(烏布西奔媽媽) as a text. Therefore, I analyzed the great shaman Ubusiben Mama and the tribal chief Faji Mama who appear in Ubusiben Mama from the perspective of “wise ones”. Considering that the titles ‘Domba(東巴)’, ‘Bimo(畢摩)’, ‘Beima(貝瑪)’, and ‘Moba(摩巴)’, which refer to priests of various ethnic groups living in Yunnan(雲南), southwestern China, all mean “wise ones”, I think it is quite possible to approach the myths contained in the scriptures or oral traditions handed down by ethnic minorities from the perspective of “wisdom literature”. From that perspective, the Donghai Jurchen(東海女眞) people, who had to survive through the difficult life of fishing and hunting in high-latitude areas with long, harsh winters and endless tribal slaughter, must have needed practical wisdom more than abstract wisdom. In such an environment, having a capable leader was an important issue directly related to their survival. It was not wise to unconditionally forgive foolish and incompetent leaders while enduring the pain of war and epidemics. Wrong leaders must be replaced, and invaders must be punished. However, the innocent must be accepted and embraced. Accepting, embracing, and healing those who are “different” from me, avoiding war as much as possible, but even if we do fight the enemy, making them truly submit, that is the “wisdom” that Ubusiben Mama pursued. In other words, the “wisdom” of Ubusiben, where strong power, tolerance, and sacrificial healing coexist, can be called ‘righteous embracing.’ If there is one more thing that should be placed on the “DIKW pyramid” that depicts the “wisdom” of the AI era, it is “righteous embracing.” And that is also the reason why we must read Ubusiben Mama’s “wisdom” now, when division and hatred run rampant.