Ba (state) - Ba Culture

Ba Culture

The tiger was an important part of Ba mythology, with the white tiger being held in highest esteem. According to legend, the king of Ba, Lin Jun, transformed into a white tiger upon his death. Artifacts from Ba archaeological sites often employ tiger motifs. Archaeological evidence also suggests the Ba people may have practised human sacrifice, which Hou Hanshu indicates was made to the white tiger spirit of Lin Jun.

Warfare played an important role in Ba society. The Ba people were famous for their war songs and dances. Their warriors were often employed as mercenaries by other states, and weapons were prevalent in Ba grave goods. Other distinctive features of Ba culture include its distinctive curved blades, boat-shaped coffin burials and Ba-style bronze drums (錞于, chúnyú), which were used to communicate in battle.

Ba and Shu developed their own writing systems, found on bronzeware. There are three scripts. One pictographic script was unique to Ba, and two (possibly phonetic) scripts were found at Ba and Shu sites. All three scripts remain undeciphered today. As in other ancient areas of China, they made beautiful bronze ding or sacrificial tripods sometimes with writing on them.