Miao Intangible Cultural Heritage Research

Miao is an ancient Chinese nationality with a long history owns abundant traditional culture during its long process of combination, migration and development. Ancient Miao people inherited their traditional culture by oral and imitation methods because they had no written language to record their history, and therefore plenty of intangible cultural heritages came into being. With the rapid modernization on economy and society, great changes happened from recent years, and then caused the elimination of traditional Miao culture and its original ecological environment, thus brought the urgency on the research and protection of traditional Miao culture, especially the intangible cultural heritages.With the high attention by government, generally speaking, situation is rather good in the field of research and protection on intangible cultural heritage, however, although there were some books on Miao culture, few people study on Miao intangible cultural heritage. This dissertation will sort out Miao intangible heritages to fill this academic blank.The main purpose of this dissertation is to make a thorough and systemic study on Miao intangible cultural heritages. On the base of exact understanding on the concept and contents of intangible cultural heritage, at the time to study Miao intangible cultural heritages on the whole, give priority on a few part of precious, unique and endangered intangiblecultural heritages, and then analyze the main characteristics of Miao intangible heritage.Intangible cultural heritage mean "the practices, representations,expressions, knowledge, skills------as well as the instruments, objects,artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith------that communities,groups and, in some place, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage." Intangible cultural heritage including 5 domains: oral traditions and expression, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage; performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; traditional craftsmanship. The State Council announced the "list of the first group of national standard intangible cultural heritages" in May 2006. According to this list and the scope of intangible cultural heritage are divided into 10 specialized catalogues: folk literature; folk music; folk dance; traditional drama; ballad singing; acrobatism and athletics; folk art; traditional craftsmanship; traditional medicine; folk custom. According to the above 5 domains and 10 catalogues, this dissertation mainly studies on Miao folk literature, performing arts, custom and festivals, traditional knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, traditional craftsmanship. Among Miao folk literature, ancient poems and long poems own special cultural value and typical Miao characters; Lusheng dance and flying songs of western Miao are most special among theperforming arts; traditional Miao costume, custom and festivals also own a quite deep historical and cultural significance.On the base of the above study, a conclusion was drawn out that themain characteristic of Miao intangible cultural heritage is its historicalmeaning. Because of lacking ancient written language, in order tomemorize their own history, most of the ancient Miao people in differentplaces put their memory of ancestors, origin of Miao, and importantevents into intangible cultural heritages such as ancient poems, Lushengdance, costume, festival and custom and so on. For example, Lushengdance in northwest of Guizhou and northeast of Yunnan is actually theperforming art of Miao migration; there are many historical meanings onMiao costumes in different places; most traditional Miao festivals such as"8th of April", "Flower Mountain" are in the memory of importantpersons or events on Miao history. Therefore, the main characteristic ofMiao intangible cultural heritage is possessing profound historicalsignificance. Besides, Miao intangible cultural heritage also has thecharacters of intersection and endangerment.This dissertation also gives an initial discussion on the protection of Miao intangible cultural heritage. It is very important to let the common Miao people know the value of their intangible cultural heritage and strengthen their idea of protection; truthfully record some intangible cultural heritages which have great influence, typical national charactersand at the same are dying out by the use of modern technology; on the base of insisting on national history and tradition, try our best to make Miao intangible cultural heritage fitting with the modern society and thus to passe those heritages on.