Research On Lahu Totem And Religious Art

The Lahu culture, with a long history and unique artistic taste, has retained distinctive features, among rich and colorful ethnic minority cultures in Yunnan. The primitive nature worship, totem art and unique aesthetic taste of Lahu have been uncovered in Lahu production life. As the Lahu people have long been living in harmony with nature, they get their unique understanding of the nature and world. In the self-awareness and learning process, totem worship and primitive religions have emerged. Owing to long-term development and impact of external cultures, Buddhism and Christian thought have also been incorporated into the religious system of the Lahu.Traditional arts of Lahu are mostly totem and religious services. From primitiveness of the Lahu culture, the appearance and form of the Lahu art in the early stage can be detected, which is of great significance for the research on the Chinese minority arts and their development. Lahu art works are rich in Lahu totem culture, religious culture and history and unique aesthetic taste. Lahu architecture, furnishings and installation art can largely reflect the ethnic history and beliefs of Lahu. Lahu is a nationality that has developed in strength in the process to move from one place to another. During this process, it seems that it has been walking among different regions and cultures, which has made Lahu turn into a nationality with great adaptability and learning skills and great courage to make changes. Its costumes have been changing as times goes on and are still changing. Lahu costumes have been appearing in many forms, owing to varying regions and surrounding environments which the Lahu people live in. However, various forms of Lahu costumes have long been serving as carriers for Lahu to record its history and inherit its totem. Lahu instruments and handicrafts have pristine, abstract and conceptual shapes, as if they are produced based on a combination of the original plastic art and the modern minimalist art. Unique colors of Lahu instruments and handicrafts are distinctive among rich minority arts. The ideas of appearing in pairs, the balance of equality and the harmony between yin and yang in the Lahu aesthetic philosophy can fully reflect the artistic ideas of Lahu and have long been taken as the philosophical thought and philosophy of life of the Lahu people.Based on literature research, field surveys, systematic analyses, information collection and research and analyses made from various perspectives, an analysis is made of Lahu totem art from a multi-disciplinary perspective. In-depth explorations are made on artistic features of Lahu totem, so as to identify the cultural contents and artistic philosophy of Lahu Totem art. Moreover, suggestions and advices are proposed for inheriting and promoting the cultural spirit of Lahu art. This research is made to make the outside world gain a new understanding and awareness of Lahu and appreciate and enjoy the colorful and splendid traditional culture and art of Lahu from the visual aesthetic point of view, thus developing and publicizing the Lahu culture, with the premise that the original style and feature of the Lahu culture are protected.