A Study On The Marriage Culture Of The "Mmao" Branch Of Hmong In The Northwest Guizhou

The marriage culture of the "Amao" branch of Hmong in northwestern Guizhou is a culture accumulated by Hmong people through long-term historical development and production work,carrying Hmong long-standing historical culture and simple spiritual style of life;At the same time,it evolved according to the requirements of social development in different historical periods and the material,spiritual,and cultural needs of Hmong.The traditional marriage of Hmong generally implements freedom of love and autonomy in marriage,with a strict and orderly marriage system.There are many formalities for marriage conclusion,presenting a rich,diverse,and profound traditional marriage culture.At the beginning of the 20 th century,after Christianity was introduced into Hmong society,the "reform movement" was carried out on the old customs and habits of Hmong people.With the gradual increase of Hmong people who believe in Christianity,the marriage culture in most areas of the "Amao" branch of Hmong people in northwest Guizhou gradually lost its original appearance.The traditional social organizations of Hmong people also gradually split and reorganized into two social groups that hold traditional culture and Christian culture Cultural taboos,different ways of falling in love,and different concepts of spouse selection have resulted in very few interactions in modern times,and the situation of marriage is even more rare.Each party uses their own marriage culture to form marriage relationships.In the past 30 years,with the increasing number of Hmong young men and women going out to study and work,under the combined influence of market economy,multicultural infiltration,transformation of production methods,and activation of endogenous motivation,the love and communication between Hmong young men and women have undergone spatiotemporal displacement,extension of intermarriage scope,and diversification of mate selection standards,resulting in intergenerational changes in the "power" of marriage,Young men and women from the Christian and non Christian groups of Hmong gradually break through the boundaries of their marriage behavior and reconstruct a composite marriage culture of two different cultural systems in Hmong society.Since modern times,these three marriage cultures have had varying degrees of influence and influence on the "Amao" branch society of Hmong in northwestern Guizhou.Based on this,the article obtains first-hand research data on the marriage culture of the "Amao" branch of Hmong through participation in observation and in-depth interviews,presenting the etiquette culture and implications of different marriage agreements from the perspective of cultural change.The full text consists of five parts,each of which includes:The first part is an introduction,which explains the reason for the topic selection and research significance of the article,a literature review on the marriage culture of the "Amao" branch of Hmong,research methods,and theoretical concepts;The second part outlines the geographical location,ecological climate,historical origins,population distribution,livelihood methods,folk culture,religious beliefs,and other natural and cultural environments of Hmong "Amao" branch in the northwest region of Guizhou;The third part elaborates on the marriage system,marriage "improvement",romantic relationships between young men and women,and their marriage circle of the "Amao" branch of Hmong;The fourth part elaborates on the ritual process,etiquette culture,and implications of Hmong "Amao" branch marriage in different stages such as proposal,engagement,fixed-term marriage,marriage,and returning home;The fifth part reflects on the historical development,contemporary influence,and future direction of the marriage customs of Hmong "Amao" branch.Through the study of the marriage culture of Hmong in northwestern Guizhou,it can be seen that during the historical development of Hmong,the established marriage system in society dominated and regulated the values and behavioral norms of young men and women in choosing a spouse.Based on the traditional marriage concept of Hmong,stable and diverse traditional ways of marriage and love were nurtured in terms of time,location,content,and gradually split into two different groups of marriage and love under the influence of foreign religions,Shorten the marriage circle of Hmong society,which is limited by geographical and blood ties.After the reform and opening up,the spatiotemporal displacement of the fields and ways of communication between Hmong young men and women has led to the continuous expansion of the intermarriage circle within Hmong society.In the more than 100 years of marriage formation of Hmong in modern times,the marriage under the traditional cultural background of Hmong has developed and evolved based on following the traditional marriage system,cultural taboos,and customs and etiquette.Some content has also been "abandoned" and enriched with the development of the times;Hmong marriage under the influence of Christianity is another form of marriage formation derived from modern times,exhibiting two major characteristics:the replication of traditional marriage formation procedures and the localization of Christian etiquette;The marriage of young men and women of Hmong,which breaks through the boundaries of religious and cultural taboos and reconstructs it,is a complex marriage culture with the dual characteristics of traditional Hmong marriage etiquette and localized Christian marriage etiquette,promoting the historical evolution of Hmong "Amao" branch marriage group from unity to division,and then to integration.The author believes that the marriage culture of Hmong has undergone a historical development from tradition to modernity in modern times.The traditional culture of Hmong,foreign religious culture,and modern mainstream culture are interdependent and blended in cultural adaptation,constructing a diverse and integrated marriage culture of Hmong,integrating the local social order of Hmong,and expanding the "human network".Based on the development requirements of the new era,we should develop excellent marriage customs that adapt to the construction of rural civilization and promote the integration of Hmong marriage culture into the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation.