Philosophical reflections on the witch culture of miao nationality
Author(s):
Tan, Yuan
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : Nankai University (People's Republic of China), 2011.
Language:
Chinese
Abstract:
Translation from original language as provided by authorMiao nationality has a long history and large population which spread widely and its national identity was clear. The rulers treat the people of Miao as uncivilized people, take the policy of oppression and brutal exploitation which resulting the social development of Miao nationality lags behind the form of Han nationality in a long times. For the reasons of geographic, language, history, religion, mode of production, lifestyle and so on, the culture of Miao nationality has a different uniqueness or heterogeneous with the culture of han and other nationalities, the core of this unique spirit mainly showed as a culture of witch worship. This paper pointed out that the witch culture is the essence of the characteristics of Hmong culture, reveals the culture of the Miao nationality main content and basic characteristics, explores how they influence and shape the lives of the people of Miao. Them try to conducting a modern reflection to this culture, provide some suggestions to the modernization development of Miao nationality's traditional culture. Belif in witch religion is an important part of Miao nationality's traditional culture. The witch religion has been presenting in the people of Miao's community lives as an absolute entity for thousands of years, which affecting their ideas and behavior as well. The primitive religion of Miao is the prototype of the Miao's witch culture, its worship of ghost and god as witch culture has quite original witch features. Miao primitive religion and its core elements, ghost and god of worship which as the prototype of witch cultural has been internalized into the distinctive folk customs of Miao, entering into the contemporary life of the Miao's daily production. In this paper, a theoretical analysis, literature analysis, field survey methods has been used to examining the influence of witch culture the people of Miao, annotating their cosmology, religion, social and political ethics concepts and so on. The essence of Miao's witch culture was showed by the followings which are witches and wizards' co-existing, witch and exorcism into one, magic and ritual seamless as well the divine judgment. The ancestor of Miao formats a conception of cosmology which is trinity as well diversity of human origin by the careful observation and exploration to their living environment, this kind of exploration is intuitive, simple and naive, but full of dialectical thinking, is a valuable spiritual wealth of them. Meanwhile, under the influence of "animistic view", the ancestor of Miao think that the invisible "soul" in the universe dominate many things, its has irresistible force, resulting in a series of worship of primitive religion such as nature worship , totemism, ancestor worship, as well as derived various kinds of taboo. The taboo of Miao mainly include religious taboos, timing and producing taboos, fertility taboo, marriage and funeral taboo as well. The people of Miao's view to the society mainly showed as the social and political view choose as community priority, the freedom and equality marriage values, the harmony and unity of natural ecology, the family values are respect and care of child and old also promote harmonious, punishing evil and promote good, to the view of labor which promote "labor creates the world". Miao nationality's customary law played the role of the protection to the social organization by the "Lang proposed" legislation, "old grounds" justice, "Drum Club" of law enforcement defenders, the mysterious force of the divine judgment is a strong complement. This article also critical reflected mainly components of Miao nationality's witch culture, analysis the positive and negative effects of the witch culture, traditional ecological culture and customary law society to the society of Miao nationality, refining its modern values good inheritance and development of national