The Educational Interpretation Of The Xijiang Miao Nationality's "Huanzhuang" Ritual

In history, the Miao nationality experienced frequent wars and migrations, scattered widely and separately in the world. In addition, they had no general characters of their own for a long period of time. However, these calamities didn't lead to its disintegration. Instead, this distressful ethic group managed to keep its distinctive features and achieve a strong sense of national identity. How could they manage it? This has aroused many scholars' concern and the researcher conducted a research into the Xijiang Miao nationality's "Huanzhuang" ritual so as to provide a tentative explanation in the perspective of educational anthropology.Much literature has analyzed the "Huanzhuang" ritual in different perspectives, but a research in the perspective of educational anthropology attaches more importance to the first-hand data obtained in the field work. So, bearing in mind the principle of combing the etic and emic perspectives, following the paradigm of structural functionalism and adopting some anthropological research methods such as literature collection, in-depth interview and participant observation, the researcher made a case study on the "Huanzhuang" ritual in Xijiang village of Leishan county in Guizhou province to interpret its educational connotation and significance for the ethnic members.At the beginning of the dissertation, the researcher gives a brief introduction to the history of the Miao nationality, the changing process of their dress and adornments culture as well as the natural, social and spiritual environments of Xijiang village, thus revealing the exterior cultural-ecological system of the "Huanzhuang" ritual. Then, through analyzing the relationship among the dress and adornments of the Miao nationality, human beings and education in the perspective of educational anthropology and specifying the position of "Huanzhuang" ritual in the whole dress and adornments cultural system, the research lays a foundation for the subsequent educational interpretation. After this, the dissertation gives a detailed description about the thorough investigation in three "Huanzhuang" rituals at one's birth, marriage and death respectively and then interprets the educational connotation by means of construing the educational factors and analyzing the interaction among the educator and the educatee, the educational medium, the educational content and the educational approaches in each ritual. Based on these efforts, conclusions are made as follows: Firstly, owing to the particular experience and the condition of having no characters, the Miao nationality's dress and adornments have been used as an effective medium of cultural inheritance, providing values with visual aid for the ethnic members to guide their whole life process. In the whole cultural system of dress and adornments, the "Huanzhuang" ritual is located in the middle-level and can connect the material form at surface layer with the deep-seated spirit. On one hand, it acts as a cultural field where the dress and adornments symbols are displayed and utilized and the spiritual culture contained is inherited. On the other hand, it provides an educational site for the ethnic members to participate in, experience and internalize the spiritual culture so as to realize their development. So, there is much educational connotation to explore. Although each "Huanzhuang" ritual has its own individuality, all the three bear some commonness.Secondly, each "Huanzhuang" ritual has its own particular educational connotation when being interpreted in a synchronic way. 1) When a baby is born, the "Huanzhuang" ritual functions to protect the baby's natural life, specifies his/her position in the society through symbolic ways and enables him/her to get primary social recognition. Then, being a new member, the baby is inducted into the society and starts to learn the Miao culture, study the dress and adornments making skills or the silver jewelry making skills, develop his/her awareness of gender roles and form the Miao nationality's aesthetic view , thus acquiring the necessary cultural pre-understanding ,which would facilitate the basic socialization. 2) After achieving the basic socialization, individuals have been changed into social people and have to play new roles and undertake new obligations. The "Huanzhuang" ritual in the marriage ceremony provides the new couple with an opportunity of engaging in psychological adjustment and also a site to inherit the Miao culture, to play their new role and get social recognition. During this process, the new couple is acculturated and the awareness of their national identity and role identity are reinforced. In this way, the ritual boosts their continuous socialization and lays a solid foundation for their further development in a wider world. 3) When reaching the old age, the old would make their own grave clothes beforehand for the upcoming "Huanzhuang" ritual held in the funeral. The process of preparation is in fact a process of internalizing the Miao nationality's view on life and death, and also a process of ascertaining one's sense of belonging and one's value orientation towards death. This kind of education would help individuals to overcome dread towards death and realize death socialization. Of course, besides the interpretation of the educational connotation of "Huanzhuang" rituals towards individuals, the researcher also discusses the rituals' educational connotation for other participants, including life education and filial piety education.Thirdly, the three "Huanzhuang" rituals bear some commonness when being interpreted in a diachronic way. On the one hand, with the help of dress and adornments symbols as well as the existence of ritual site, the "Huanzhuang" rituals effectively realize the cultural inheritance of the Miao nationality, which is beneficial to the cultivation and consolidation of one's sense of national identity. On the other hand, the "Huanzhuang" rituals bestow the spiritual culture contained with meaning of life and bestow individuals' life development with some cultural stipulation by virtue of integrating the dress and adornments cultural symbols with the whole life process. During the key period of development, using this particular system of identity and distinction to specify and identify with their national identity and social roles, individuals gain their self-definition and finally realize their socialization.Lastly, the educational interpretation of the "Huanzhuang" ritual reveals the real value of the Miao nationality's dress and adornments culture as well as the importance and urgency of its inheritance. Undoubtedly, the education for ethnic minorities should undertake such mission and lay down corresponding educational strategies. The researcher holds that efforts should be made to integrate family education, school education and social education so as to realize mutual complementation of their functions, which will promote effective inheritance of dress and adornments culture of the Miao nationality.This research has important theoretical significance and practical significance. It probes into the "Huanzhuang" rituals at three critical moments during one's whole life process and interprets the important educational connotation the rituals bear in inheriting the Miao nationality's culture and boosting the ethnic members' development. Researches in the perspective of educational anthropology are lacking in such case study, so it would expand the research scope and enrich the educational theories for ethnic minorities. In the context of modernization and globalization, such educational interpretation not only conduces to the conservation of national features, but also helps people of other ethnic groups to know and understand the Miao nationality's culture, avoiding ignorance of those particular cultural genes' vital significance. At the same time, exploration of the existing educational problems in the life world would contribute to the development of new educational resources and would also provide reference to integrate the school educational system with the educational activities in the life world. Of course, due to the limited time and research capability, there are some shortcomings in the dissertation, which will urge me to strive hard to enhance my theoretical attainment and conduct more comprehensive field work.