The Research On Myths And Faith Of PanHu

Panhu culture is an ancient but active cultural tradition kept and passed down among the ethnic minorities of southern China.Panhu legends and Panhu folk religion are the two major facets of this culture.Each is important,and the two are inseparable.To the tribe of Panhu,"religion" is the inner rationale of "legends," and "legends" are the external expression of "religion." This study will examine these two facets together,building upon existing research and recent field study in order to make a more complete analysis of Panhu culture in terms of mythology and religious faith.Panhu culture among the Miao nationality of Suining,Hunan will serve as the basis of this study,as it has to date received very little academic attention or serious research.The earliest known historical records regarding Panhu legends can be traced back to the Han dynasty.Although comparative analysis of early Panhu records show a minor degree of disparity between various accounts,the legend storylines fundamentally agree.Nearly all the accounts retain the central plot of the earliest records:the marriage of a celestial dog to a goddess,the offspring of which became a tribal nation.The legend of Panhu has been recorded in various forms by the Miao,Yao,She nationality,and other ethnic people who believe themselves to be his descendants.The Yao,for example,have a literary record,while the She rely on an ancestral graph.The Miao have passed on the legend in spoken form through stories such as"Dog Father,Goddess Mother" and“Dog Takes the Grains”.In terms of Panhu legends and Panhu folk religion,it may be surmised that the Miao,Yao,and She people groups have a similar ethnic origin,but while they enjoy many commonalities,Miao Panhu culture has many unique features not found among the other two people groups.Recent field study has led to the discovery that in some Miao areas across Suining,dog veneration continues to not only be integrated into the customs of people's daily lives,but there are even special festivals held for dog worship ceremonies.It is quite singular to see Panhu worship among the Miao,expressed in this kind of ancient sacrifice ceremony,be transmitted to the modern day.This study will explore and analyze three aspects of the relationship between the sacrifice ceremony and Panhu worship.First,that "sacrifice to dogs" and "dog worship" among the Suining Miao are rooted in the legendary "Dog Takes the Grains," a familiar story representative of the type.Second,that Suining lies geographically within the "Greater Western Hunan" district,which was historically partially inhabited by people recorded in ancient times as the“Five Stream Panhu Barbarians." Finally,how the“sacrifice to dogs" tradition is intimately linked to Panhu worship.These three aspects will show that the sacrifice ceremony in dog worship among the Suining Miao is a remnant of Panhu worship passed down from the ancient times of the Panhu barbarians.The origin of Panhu worship may be traced back to ancient times as a form of animal totem worship.Over centuries of transmission,various changes were gradually made to Panhu's original totem image by the the different groups claiming Panhu as an ancestor.These changes,whether by embellishment or recasting,were made to reflect the individual groups'desire to protect the sanctity of their own religious interpretation of Panhu.After Cen Jiawu dividing Panhu legend into two types,Later Panhu worship may be understood in terms of two categories:"ethnic totem worship:early ancestor worship" and "ethnic totem worship:tribal hero worship.”Over the course of history,this primitive form of religion eventually became a folk religion shared by several people groups.Panhu worship is categorized as a folk religion in consideration of its marginality,barbarian,and dispersivity.Panhu worship has begun to witness a revival after a long hiatus following the suppression of traditional folk religion in the last half of the twentieth century.Like many other forms of folk religion experiencing a revival in the modern world,Panhu worship seems to be gaining ground in a very shallow sense.This is likely due to the weakening of religious faith and increased secularization of society.Although many Panhu areas have been fortunate enough to enjoy the support of cultural heritage preservation movements over the last decade,there have been as many losses as gains.It is likely that Panhu culture will soon be no more than a collection of folklore.