main trinity of Taoist theology, and were introduced among the Tujia by Han Chinese who moved to their areas. Apart from the trinity and some elaborate ritual styles, Nuo folk religion has not acquired the philosophical contents of Taoism, as the purpose of Nuo practices is mainly to "nourish" Nuo gods. Directly below the Three Pure Ones there is the Jade Deity ( Yùdì), another deity from Taoist theology, who is invoked by Nuo priests by blowing into a peculiar ritual instrument, an ox horn. The Jade Deity is conceived as the commander of all lesser gods, so in order to communicate with them it is necessary to call upon him first. Three Worlds' Deities, Five Directions' Deities and the Enthroned Deity Below the Jade Deity come the Deities of the Three Worlds ( Sānhuáng) and then the Deities of the Five Directions ( Wǔfāngdì), both groups common to pre-Taoist Chinese religion. The triplet is formed by the patron of heaven ( Tiānhuáng, who is Fuxi), the patron of earth ( Dehuáng, who is Nuwa) and the patron of humanity ( Rénhuáng, who is Shennong). The other group is formed by the Yellow Deity of the centre of the cosmos, the Green or Blue Deity of the east, the Red Deity of the south, the White Deity of the east, and the Black Deity of the north. As in Chinese religion they have a cosmological significance corresponding to various aspects of nature and are believed to have been incarnated in historical personages. Below the Three Patrons and the Five Deities there is the Enthroned Deity, who is considered to be incarnated in the present time. The most prominent contemporary government figure of China is believed to be the Enthroned God. In Nuo shrines there is often a tablet with the inscription "a long life to the god on the throne". Founders of priestly orders Every order of Nuo priests has its own founders, who are honoured at dedicated altars ( shītán, "order's altar"). The ancestors of the order are invoked during every ritual performance and in the divine hierarchy they come right below the Enthroned Deity. The three earliest Nuo ritualists common to nearly all the orders are Yan Sanlang, Liu Wulang and Huang Wanlang. There are also a variety of gods of nature and of human affairs, such as the Door Gods, the Well God, the Hearth God, the