A Study Of "Sijibi",a Socio-Cultural Phenomenon Among The Nuosu Of Xioliangshan, Yunnan

The academic study of suicide phenomenon has gone a long way. Suicide problem is not only a social problem, but also a public health problem. Suicide phenomenon which based on the cultural specificity of different regions are varied and complex. The previous suicide study mostly focused on the perspective of sociology, psychology and psychiatry. There's not much work doing on the perspective of anthropology and ethnology. Thus, in this paper, I discuss suicide under the perspective of cultural analysis which is my disciplinary advantage. I try to analyze the suicide problem in the specific social and cultural background, and try to understand the value and behavior about life of Liangshan Nuosu people.The subject of this paper is xiaoliangshan Nuosu,yunnan who are the same group with Liangshan Nuosu. Nuosu belongs to Yi nationality and owns the largest population of Yi. They called themselves "Nuosu", speaking northern dialect of Yi language:Shengza language. Nuosu has their independent social structure and system, keeping strong traditional culture."Sijibi" is a kind of special suicide behavior in Nuosu society. This behavior once existed commonly among all other groups of Yi. However, it has decreased in a certain extent today. Still, it happens time to time. The research method of this paper is fieldwork and literature analysis. First of all, I compare the concept of "Sijibi" with Durkheim's suicide. I find out that these two kinds of suicides are not quite the same due to their different background."Sijibi" often happens in the everyday life of Liangshan Yi people. When people feel angry, shameful, despairing, or injured caused by big or small events in the interaction courses with others who possible are the same family member or outside of the family (or they can be the same clan or different clans), they may commit suicide to revenge, hurt and discourage their counterparts. In this circumstance, the counterpart has to make compensation for her/him according to the extent of responsibility they have to take."Sijibi" can not be simply classified as any kind of suicides. Secondly, I analyze "Sijibi" on two aspects:field and habitus, trying systematic analyze in what extant that the external social structure and institutional system as well as the inner ethics and values influence the "Sijibi" behavior of Nuosu people. Finally, I focus on the difference that men and women behave in the process of "Sijibi". Above of that, I make the conclusion that the gender conduct standards in Nuosu society strengthen the gender behavioral practice of "Sijibi". Behind the kind of harmonious social atmosphere, the gender inequality always exists. Women tend to be disadvantaged and weak. Their weapons are their physical lives.