About me
Title:
Ancestor Myths and Witchcraft Traditions: Folk Religion As A Strategy Of Cultural Adaption For She People In Eastern Fujian
Abstract:
Pan Hu worship （盘瓠崇拜）and Lvshan Taoism（闾山道法） are of great significance for She people（畲） in Eastern Fujian, by examining local historical documents, and fieldwork data, this paper argues, to hide, or to emphasize the memories of the saga of Pan Hu, which are two opposite cultural orientations of She people，may coexisted in eastern Fujian. In fact, integrating into the society and escaping from that are both strategies of cultural adaption. In the process of She people’s settling down and localization，while resolving the political conflicts of the power and right，they make their identity intensified as the descendants of Pan Hu. At the same time，Lvshan Taoism helps to strengthen She people’s awareness of ethnic boundary by an organic integration of ancestor myths，witchcraft traditions and local Taoism. It also motivates She wizards to take part in more social life activities for they are given title of ritual specialists in a traditional naming system.
