Research On Educational Value Of Silk Culture Of Baiku Yao

Silk culture occupies a very important position in Chinese ethnic culture, it has different performance contents and forms within productions, literatures, arts and folk-customs. Taking silk cloth as the carrier, there is hierarchy differing function in the "rite" that is reflected in traditional cultural feudal ethics in traditional agricultural society.However, hierarchy difference in traditional cultural feudal ethics within the inheritance of silk culture does not exist in Baiku Yao society. The silk culture of Baiku Yao which exists in the way of share, communication and exchange has characteristics of universal participation, publicity and no hierarchy difference. Being different from traditional agricultural society, Baiku Yao is not typical ethnic with settled farming, but that of shifting cultivation. As a result, it is the core question of this research that what are the values and significances to social members of the silk culture formed in this system. Several specific questions need to be solved in this research based on this core question:What specific aspects does silk culture of Baiku Yao reflect and how being used? How is silk culture of Baiku Yao generated? Does Baiku Yao's silk culture have deep influence to development of human beings, what are educational values of silk culture? Compared to that of traditional agricultural society, what are characteristics of silk culture of Baiku Yao and how is it generated?On the basis of above considerations, this research was started with the fieldwork investigation on Baiku Yao's silk culture. This research mainly investigated Yaoshan Yao Ethnic Township of Libo County, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Ethnic Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, combined with the investigation on Lihu Yao Ethnic Township and Baxu Yao Ethnic Township of Nandan County, Hechi city, Guangxi Province; followed the paradigm of structural functionalism; used literature analysis and qualitative research methods to deeply excavate the educational values implied in Baiku Yao's silk culture from both the subjective and objective perspectives.At first, this research briefly introduced historical source and natural, social and spiritual environments of Baiku Yao, revealing external cultural ecosystem by which silk culture is supported. Second, this research had a thorough investigation on the contents of Baiku Yao's silk culture, finding that silk culture is mainly reflected in production and life, ancient songs, tales and ceremonies for wedding and funeral. After that, taking inherited contents of Baiku Yao's silk culture as the starting point, this thesis respectively analyzed the educational values of silk culture in daily life-including production and life, ancient songs and tales, wedding ceremony and funeral ceremony. Finally, on the above bases, this research analyzed and concluded characteristics and causes of Baiku Yao's silk culture and had conclusions as following:First, the origin of Baiku Yao's silk culture is related to beliefs. This point can be verified from three aspects of archeology, literature materials and anthropology. In archeological findings, fragmentary silk cloth and skirts of Baiku Yao women remained among the left skeletons in caves of Baiku Yao; there are lots of records on local residents'use of silk to make decorations in historical literatures relating to Karst areas in south China. And anthropological fieldwork found that Baiku Yao's silk culture is reflected in aspects of material, system and spirit. From the level of material culture, the natural geographic environment of Baiku Yao society is suitable for silkworms to live, and there is one circle of silk embroidered on the edge of skirt dressed by Baiku Yao women. In system culture level, the silk production of Baiku Yao adapts the way of being self supplied and self sufficient, is not aiming at profit, and silk (or silkworm cocoon) is used in both wedding and funeral ceremonies. For spirit culture level, in wedding ceremony, silk is used as a symbol representing breeding and happy and satisfying marriage which reflects breeding faith and marriage values of Baiku Yao; in funeral ceremony, silk is a symbolic expression of soul and filial duty reflecting opinions on life and death and soul faith of Baiku Yao; origin of silkworm is included in ancient songs and tales which are relating to ghosts and gods, and there are stories about how Baiku Yao women tamed wild silkworms that lived in maples. That is the transformation from natural property of silkworm's life to social property of human's life. Meaning of life of silkworm is reflected in Baiku Yao society and this is also the belief that Baiku Yao inherit through symbolic meanings of silkworm.Second, Baiku Yao's silk culture has educational value of ethnic identity. Through filed work and analysis of Baiku Yao's silk culture, it can be perceived that the inheritance of Baiku Yao's silk culture takes silk as the main theme. It adheres history and culture, ethnic characteristics and ethnic customs of Baiku Yao to silk culture and promotes the transformation from natural human to social human-that is the transition from people's natural property to social property-through different links of life growth like production and life, breeding, marriage and death. It is silk culture that accomplishes ethnic memory and belief inheritance of Baiku Yao, embodies teaching to be diligent and teaching to be kind in daily life, recognition and thinking on life, modeling and reinforcing of gender roles, rethinking and care on life and death and inheritance and promotion of filial piety education. Silk culture, thus, cultivates ethnic group awareness and affections of Baiku Yao members, makes clear the ethnic identities and consequently enhances sense of identity and cohesion, holds together social functions of ethnic group and greatly fulfills demands of individual spirit.Inheriting ways of silk culture of Baiku Yao are flexible and varied which are blended in with their life and customs. Family, meetings and rites are the chief ways of inheritance of silk culture, which are main educational places for them to learn social experience. For the reason that Baiku Yao is an ethnic that has language but no words, silk becomes a effective carrier of cultural inheritance which offers a system of meaning for ethnic members in symbolic and direct way. By using unique symbolic system of ethnic culture, this cultural inheritance delivers contents relating to life that is concluded in the process of adapting living environment to next generations, through ways of oral teach, mental remembering and unconscious influence and etc., in activities and ceremonies. It provides places and situations for ethnic members to participate, experience and internalize ethnic spirits and is helpful for generation and development of individual life which has important educational values.Third, silk culture of Baiku Yao promotes the development and improvement of socialization for ethnic members. Starting from self spirit, Baiku Yao's silk culture transforms practical needs of life into interpretation of relationship of human society and nature, that between cultures, that between human beings and that within a person. Baiku Yao's silk culture is life practice which is a mixture of procedure and result of socialization. In daily life, ethnic members learn knowledge of production and life relating to silk culture, know ancient songs and tales on silk culture, obey behavior standards and morality implied in silk culture and fulfill socialization of personal skills and behaviors. In wedding ceremony, ethnic members know the meaning of breeding and wishes of happy and satisfactory marriage symbolized by silk and experience socialization of personal role; in funeral ceremony, they recognize the respect to their ancestors and ideas about life and death symbolized by silk and fulfill socialization of value ideas and behavior standards. Meanings implied in silk culture of Baiku Yao help ethnic members accomplish the development of socialization in practical life.Fourth, silk culture of Baiku Yao has four characteristics:non-refining for social labor division of silk production, non-proficient property for silk production, no hierarchy difference of status of silk users and publicity of inheritance of silk culture. Because of has special natural geographic environment, the transformation of the livelihood from shifting farming to settled cultivation, power of social organizations and influence of religious beliefs, unique silk culture was generated in Baiku Yao society.This research has certain theoretical and practical significance. Firstly, solid fieldwork investigation was conducted in this research based on what unique educational values and significances reflected in Baiku Yao society was analyzed and explained, it is different from educational values expressed in silk culture of traditional agricultural society. The silk culture existed in reality provides a case for exploring the origin of silk culture. It is original to certain extent from the research angle.Secondly, educational contents, forms and values of life world reflected in silk culture of Baiku Yao have certain implications to ethnic education. It is worth reference for development of ethnic education to establish education that suits local education under impact of globalization and modernization.