| The “bax deib” belief of Miao people originated from the witchcraft of ancient times.It is a belief system of the relationship between man and man,man and himself,and man and nature.It was formed by Miao people’s ancestors in the process of survival practice that was based on by the bond of ties of blood and region.The ethical thought of“bax deib” belief has always influenced the prefabrication of ethical concepts and the formation of ethical behavior of the Miao people in Xiangxi for thousands of years.This ethical thought can enhance people’s ethical consensus such as filial piety,equality and patriotism,and can impart moral education such as courtesy,law-abiding,and friendship to the public.It can cultivate the emotions,attitudes and values of the public,and shape their ethnic character.It can maintain their ethnic and state identity.It also can establish,cultivate and strengthen their awareness of the Chinese national community,and promote the inheritance of rural civilization and the maintenance of rural order in the Miao ethnic area of Xiangxi.The orientation of ethical values of “bax deib” belief such as harmony,equality,and friendliness shares similarities with the socialist core v alues.This determines that its ethic education and the function and exertion is beneficial for the cultivation and practice the latter.As a cultural trait,how does the ethical thought of “bax deib” belief influence the continuity of filial piety ethics,the realization of individual socialization and the cognition and practice of the relationship between man and nature? In order to explore and answer the above questions,the author borrows and absorbs the research results of some scholars,and tries to study the “bax deib” belief of Miao people in Xiangxi from the perspective of ethical education.In order to expound the function and exertion of the “bax deib” belief,this research takes Xintao Village as the field research point.This research combines theory with practice,and analyzes and explains the educational elements such as the educators and the educated,educational content,educational media and educational methods in the ethical education “bax deib” belief,as well as the organic connections between them.Xintao Village is located in Fenghuang County,Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture,Hunan Province.It is a typical village where the “bax deib” belief spreads.In order to prove its function of ethical education,the author explains the relationship between the “bax deib” belief and the formation of ethical concepts and behavior shaping of Miao people in Xiangxi,including family filial piety,interpersonal communication and ecological protection.The research starts from the individual case,but is not limited to the case.It casts the field of vision to the whole Miao area in western Hunan.The research begins with practical problems,and expounds the current ethical situation of the Miao people in the family,society and ecology.On this basis,the research combs and summarizes literature,and reviews China’s rural ethics research.The research trys to grasp the history and culture of the Miao people and Miao people in Xiangxi,and explores the essence of “bax deib” belief,and especially clarifys the cultural origin between the “bax deib” belief and the tradition of witchcraft of Miao ethnic group.This research believes that the “bax deib” belief of the Miao people originated from witch culture.After a long time for evolving,it has transformed from the worship and ecstasy of ancestors and other deities into secular morality,character and psychology.It becomes the requirement and norm of people’s behavior,behaving and soul,and completes the ethical education of Miao people.This research places the“bax deib” belief in the background of the historical evolution and modern encounters of the Miao people in Xiangxi.It outlines the “bax deib” belief’s location map in the social structure of the Miao people in Xiangxi.It analyzes the “bax deib” belief’s the value of ethical education.It explores the historical value and practical significance of the “bax deib” belief’s ethic education in cultivating the function of the people,constructing the social value system,and inheriting civilization in the Miao ethnic area of western Hunan.In addition,the research also analyzes the constraints and promotion strategies of the “bax deib” belief’s ethic education in the modernization process.This research holds that the ethical education of the function of the “bax deib”belief can be attributed to the following three aspects.First,the function of the ethical education of filial piety and fraternal duty.The research finds ancestors worship is the main form of “bax deib”.That various rituals of ancestors worship of Miao people in Xiangxi are influenced by the witchcraft culture of Chu and have the ancient witchcraft style of avoiding disasters,providing protection and praying for blessings.Along with the emergence of the family,the ancestors of sacrifice gradually evolved from the distant kings and ancestors to the family ancestors.Ancestral worship is divided into public worship and family worship.The former is mostly operated by families,villages,or governments.The latter includes emergency worship and conventional worship.The public worship is usually presided by “bax deib”,and the family worship is presided by parents or other family members.People use sacrifices to remember their ancestors and express their grief.The characteristics of“sacrifice must be their ancestors” determines that all kinds of ancestor worship rituals carried out by consanguinity and distance are situational education of the ethical education of filial piety and fraternal duty.The research believes that the process of“bax deib” belief is a vivid display of Miao culture in western Hunan and a soulful deduction of filial piety and fraternal duty.The costumes,manners and expressions of“bax deib” in the sacrificial ceremony are loaded with profound Miao cultural connotations.It creates a mixed field of sacred spaces and secular spaces for participants by grave and solemn atmosphere and various etiquette.It provides a opportunity that people can observe,comprehend and practice moral concepts and ethical norms such as respect for family and filial piety.The “bax deib” plays the role of educator.The participants invisibly cultivate the awareness and responsibility that treats funerals with caution and reveres the dead,and get the rules for getting along with brothers and sisters.They become the educated.The ceremony is an important carrier for the Miao people to receive the education of family ethics,ethics and values.This kind of education completes the communication between the symbol and its symbolic significance in a dynamic form,and realizes the effective inheritance of ethnic spirit and culture.The participants understood the meaning and requirements of filial piety and fraternal duty by observation,imitation and experience.They gradually clear their position and role in the family,clan and village groups,and accord to this role expectation to shape themselves,maintain the family and get recognition.Second,the function of social ethics education.The research suggests that everyone belongs to a certain ethnic group when he is born.The prerequisite for their survival and development is the recognition of biological self and group self.When one knows whom he is,he can define himself.That forces him to know the order and rules of the group,then he can integrate into the group.Therefore,the goal of ethnic education and inheritance of ethnic culture is how to obtain the group etiquette norms,moral ethics,value system,and internalize this into their own psychological characteristics.When they are in a similar situation,they can show the same manner.The various sacrificial rites of “bax deib” belief,which focus on ancestor worship,present the history and culture of the Miao people,and put the participants in a situation different from the scenes of daily life.The research believes that the smoke,the libretto and actions of “bax deib” create a solemn and sacred atmosphere.The participants felt and experienced the roles that had appeared or had not played in such scenes,and consciously connected the relationship between themselves and these roles.They realized this kind of emotion,and acquired the symbolic meaning of their actions and expressions.They have acquired the social ethical knowledge that they should possess as members of a group,and realized the construction of their own meaning.This mixed scene of humans and gods enhances the recognizing,understanding and knowing from experience of the moral concepts,ethical norms,and spiritual beliefs of the Miao ethnic group.It not only helps individuals to recognize,adjust,and redeem themselves,but also helps them form a ‘fit’ with society.It is also beneficial for groups to reach ethical consensus,and strengthen their sense of identity with the ethinic group,the country,and the Chinese national community.This kind of communication and exchange between “bax deib” and participants has completed the education of ethical knowledge such as group norms and social rules for the latter.Thirdly,the function of ecological ethics education.The research finds that cognition and practice of Miao people in Xiangxi towards nature comes from the accumulated experience and wisdom,which they have interacted with the environment during their survival.It is the product that Miao people in Xiangxi reflect the relationship between themselves and the environment based on ethical principles.It contains their emotions for life.Human development experience tells us that it is difficult to reach a balance between human needs and the material supply of nature.It is a necessary path for human long-term development to walk out of anthropocentrism,and examine nature objectively and rationally,and treat nature with the principle of human ethics.This research holds that “bax deib” belief advocates for the equality of all things,reveres life and treats everything kindly.These ethic thoughts urge the Miao people in Xiangxi to consciously regulate their own behavior in daily life,treat life kindly,cherish the environment,and coexist harmoniously with all things.When they choose a place of residence,expand outward and other survival practices,they follow various customs and taboos derived from the ecological ethics of the “bax deib” belief.They pay attention to the protection of forests,land and water resources.They establish a lasting and sustainable reconciliation and reciprocal relationship with nature.They pass down the ecological ethic thoughts such as the concept of life consciousness,the concept of ecological holistic and the concept of ecological consumption of “bax deib”belief from generation to generation.They urge their descendants to use traditional customs,public opinion and other methods to handle the relationship between humans and nature.To live in harmony with nature,human beings should rationally understand and treat nature in addition to coercive policies and remedial measures.The thoughts of applying the principle of human ethics to man and nature is easily accepted by people,because it integrates into life.This type of ecological ethics education can effectively protect the regional ecological environment,and promote the construction of a harmonious society in the ethnic areas.With the help of the inheritance of the “bax deib” culture,the knowledge of family ethic,society ethics and ecological ethics contained in the “bax deib” belief has effectively standardized the thought cognition and behavior practice of Miao people in Xiangxi,when they get along with their families,village partners and nature.Ethical education of “bax deib” belief plays an important part in promoting the unity and social harmony of various ethnic groups in Xiangxi,and it is useful in rural economic development,social progress,construction of socialist core value system and inheritance of civilization.The society is developing after all.The change of living environment will certainly lead to the change in people’s cognition and practice of society,nature and themself.The inheritance of folk beliefs originates from their daily lives that ordinary people do not know about.Market economy and urbanization have changed traditional way of life of the Miao people in Xiangxi.They also have changed people’s understanding,attitude and behavior towards “bax deib” belief.The “bax deib”belief is no longer the first choice for them when they face survival difficulties.Relying on their own growth experience and knowledge accumulation from work and education,they rationally choose various knowledge of the “bax deib” belief.The function and its implementation of ethics education of “bax deib” belief encounters dilemma such as the retreat of subject,the loss of habitat and the impact of foreign culture.In order to answer and defuse the dilemma,the ethics education of “bax deib” belief consciously changes itself in educational content,media,and methods.We should have a rational understanding of “change” and “unchanged” of the ethics thought of “bax deib” belief,and grasp the inherent regularity of ethical education of “bax deib” belief.According to the characteristics and requirements of the times,we need to creatively transform and develop it innovatively,and exert its function of educating people through culture.On this basis,the research explores the modern transformation of the ethic spirit of the “bax deib” belief from collectivism education,cultivation of ecological civilization,and social regulation.It is the specific manifestation of the constraints and corresponding strategies of ethical education of “bax deib” belief,and it is also the path to promote its inheritance.On the whole,this research has accomplished the expected task,and has important theoretical and practical significance.On the one hand,this research investigates and elaborates the real ethical situation of the Miao rural society in Xiangxi,and discuss the historical origin and realistic predicament of this situation.On the other hand,this research comprehensively utilizes the theoretical knowledge of education,structure functionalism and semiotic,and tries to analyze and explain the ethical education function of “bax deib” belief in Xiangxi from the whole correlation of natural environment,science,humanity and society.This research analyzed the value of ethical education of “bax deib” belief in the construction of the social value system,the inheritance of rural civilization,and the maintenance of rural social order in Xiangxi.The research breaks through the limitations of the previous single-subject perspective or method,and reveals the ethical educational function of the inheritance of “bax deib”belief culture.This research discusses the realization path of non-school ethic education under the goal of “becoming a person”.This is a situational education model that achieves diversity in educational methods.This ethic education model can provide useful reference for solving the problems of rural ethical education in the new era.This research not only broadens the research paradigm of “bax deib” culture in Xiangxi,but also provides a new thought for the inheritance of Miao culture in Xiangxi.Because of the limited time and ability of the researchers,this research still needs to explore and analyze the core,historical evolution and the educational function in family,society and ecological ethics of “bax deib” belief. |
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