The Survival Of 'Siri'?for Eternity:The Notion Of Personhood,House And Daily Life Of Na People

The aim of this thesis is to understand the cultural logic behind NA people's daily life from their notion of "personhood".Given the lack of a clear definition of the socalled "??" in the domestic anthropological studies and the confusing Chinese translations of the key term "personhood",this thesis starts from description and ethnographical analysis of the instrumental concept of "person".It traces back to the anthropological research of Marcel Mauss and subsequent studies dealing with"person".Through understanding and translating the concepts of "person" and"personhood",this thesis elucidates the differences and relations between them in the anthropological studies.The major part of this thesis describes and analyzes the conception of"personhood" embodied in Na people's religious belief and practice.At the same time it expounds the mutual construction of Na people's conception of space and time on the one hand,and "personhood" on the other hand in their local cosmology.We suggest that their understanding of "How to be a fully person" is based on their unique understanding of the "house".For them house is not merely a physical space to live in,it is also a subject with its own personality.The symbolic space of their house and the religious practice take place in and around it reflect the intimate connection between the process of becoming personhood fully and the ideal of the immortal life of the house.Then,this thesis goes on discussing the relatives and gender of Na people and examines their social space practice and predicaments they confront.In the end this thesis suggests that the concept of "person" is not only a valuable tool of guiding the ethnographic description,it can also update anthropology studies.More importantly,this thesis also tries to show how a cross-culture research is helpful for reflection of the anthropology methods and make us conscious of our cultural bias.This study tries to achieve this integrity,although the results may be not always satisfying.