Muvu paqugo In the white father heaven

mujjy avu su；1607244sparkling stars are incalculable；

mudde nramogo in the black mother land

bbopat avu susu.origin stories are innumerable.

A Nuosu luby （“proverb”）

The starting point for this essay is the word bbopa，1607245whose common meaning is “origin” or “origin-narrative” in the Nuosu language. Bbopa refers to the creation of the world，to material and non-material creations of Nuosu society，and to “ways of speaking” about a remote past. Luby are the salt of everyday Nuosu life，while bbopa is the prelude to ritual life. Throughout this essay，I underscore the consistency and diversity of Nuosu oral traditions. These few observations only begin to illustrate the many diverse generic categories of Nuosu oral traditions；included among them is bbopa，a rich and complex traditional narrative that encompasses a number of oral forms，styles，and genres.1607246 The bbopa constitute the case study for this essay.