From Holiness To Common-A Study On Cattle Worship Of Yi People-in The Case Of Shilin County,Yunnan Province,China

Based on archaeological evidence,through the methods of field investigation and analysis on relevant materials,the research tries to get a clear picture about evolution of cattle worship of Yi nationality who living in Shilin County,Yunnan Province,China,which covered the period of time from prehistory up to now,and about 5 thousand years.From the perspective of political geography,economic geography,cultural geography,natural geography,sociology and ecology,the research intends to identify the relationship between cattle worship of Yi nationality and both natural environment and social environment where Yi people are living in.And then the study tries to explore the culture of Yi nationality,and further intends to explore both Chinese civilization and western civilization,and rethink them again about their advantage and disadvantage.The research got the results that the natural ideas of Yi people comes from their deep realization about nature.And based on such ideas,they have dealed the relationship well,which between human beings and natural environment.And such ideas have reflected from their religious practice,which includes cattle worship,fire worship,forest worship and so on.The study found that such ideas not only maintain the lives and development of Yi people,but also very helpful for human beings to solve both ecological crisis and living crisis which they are facing with.The study also found that there are closely relations between cattle worship of Yi people and political,economic,cultural,and natural environment where they are living in,which shows an interactional phenomenon and can produce a new one through such interaction.As a trial,the paper tries to divide the period of time of cattle worship of Yi people as follows:born—developing—top—decline.And up to now shows an restoration.And such evolution directly and deeply shaped by both political and economic factors.Based on deep observation in ancient Chinese civilization,which compared with the origion and development of western civilization,the research got such results as follows:in traditional Chinese culture,people take very importance on the relationship between human beings and environment,which emphasizes that 1)all people's behavior must meet the rules of nature,as human beings only one of nature;2)sunshine,water,soil and forest are the most important things that God gave human beings and must cherish them;3)what people need to do is to explore the rules of natures,and then take actions by such rules.On the contrast,traditional western ideas think that human being are the king of nature,and can occupy the nature completely according to the needs of human beings,which led to various problems including ecological crisis and living crisis which human beings have never met before.Finally,the research think that after inductrial civilization,human beings will unavoidably enter ecological civilization.And traditional Chinese culture will play very important role in building such civilization.