A Study Of Lusheng Music And Dance In Miao People 's Funeral Rites In Danzhai County, Guizhou Province

Lusheng music and dance, a unique form of Lusheng culture of the Miao ethnic group in Danzhai County, Guizhou Province, are mainly applied in local Miao ethnic group’s sacrifice and funeral rites. The Lusheng music and dance are an original music and dance custom that possesses a long history and also an emblem as well as a symbol of Miao traditional music culture in Danzhai County. This dissertation chooses the Lusheng music and dance in the funeral rites in Danzhai County as the study object. From the angle of cultural ecology, on the basis of first-hand materials of abundant data, several investigations and interviews, this dissertation will interpret the Miao Lusheng music and dance in Danzhai County. This research uses knowledge of ethnomusicology, musical morphology, cultural ecology and ritual music theory to conduct an empirical study of the Lusheng music and dance in funeral rites in Danzhai County under the context of local cultural ecology in order to further expounds the cultural ecological function and academic value of Miao Lusheng music and dance in funeral rites in Danzhai County.Up till now, the studies of Lusheng music and dance are mainly conducted from the perspectives of ethnic group, folk customs and society separately, but are rarely done systematically. This dissertation takes the Lusheng music and dance customs in the funeral rites in Danzhai County as the study object. From the perspective of an outsider, the Lusheng funeral rites of the Miao ethnic group in Danzhai County can be divided into three procedures:the preparation of the rites, "Night of Sacrifice" with Lusheng performance and going up the mountain to bury the dead. Through studying the individual case of the Lusheng music and dance in funeral rites of the Miao ethnic group in Danzhai County, this dissertation aims to analyze the present Miao funeral rites which are the combination of the continuation of traditional rites as well as the form change of Lusheng music and dance culture indeed. And the two parts share the relationship of co-existence and co-development. Under the cultural context of the Miao ethnic group’s natural religious belief, the Lusheng music and dance become an important form and content in funeral activities.Factors like nature worship and witchcraft culture preserved in the Lusheng music and dance show its nature of a "psychic" tool. Funeral rites are a significant carrier of the Miao ethnic group’s traditional music culture in Danzhai County while the change of the Lusheng music and dance reflects its transition process from rites to demonstration performance. Through the cultural interpretation of the Lusheng music and dance’s ecological function in Miao funeral rites in Danzhai County, the dissertation will further expound the ecological functions, historical continuation and change of the Miao Lusheng music and dance and the funeral rites, which can be considered as a journey to seek the root of local Miao Lusheng music and dance customs. The dissertation contains four chapters:In the first chapter, the author will sketch the nature and human ecological background of the Miao ethnic group’s funeral rites in Danzhai County. This part will be expounded from the perspectives of natural ecology, human ecology as well as the origin and contents of local Miao ethnic group’s funeral rites.In the second chapter, thanks to the experience of participating in the traditional funeral rites of the Miao ethnic group in Zhanliang Village, Danzhai Village, the author is able to clarify and describe the whole process of the funeral rites as well as the performance of Lusheng music and dance. Meanwhile, through the investigation of Lusheng customs in Danzhai County, the author will discuss deeply about the five aspects about Lusheng---- historical evolution, fabrication process, playing techniques, application situation and education models.The third chapter, the creative part in this dissertation, is mainly concerned with the analysis and the feature conclusion of Lusheng’s music, dance and lyrics in the Miao group’s funeral rites in Danzhai County.In the fourth chapter, through the lens of cultural ecology theory, the author will analyze and interpret the cultural ecological functions and value of Lusheng music and dance in the Miao ethnic group’s funeral rites.The author holds the opinions that firstly, the Lusheng music and dance in the funeral of local Miao ethnic group in Danzhai County carry on the Miao ethnic group’s history and culture; secondly, the Lusheng music and dance culture demonstrate local cultural ecology; thirdly, the Lusheng music and dance carry the Miao ethnic group’s outlook on life and world. At the same time, with the help of the analysis of functions, the dissertation will further interpret the cultural ecological value of the Lusheng music and dance in local Miao ethnic group’s funeral rites in Danzhai County and analyze the preservation, dissemination, renovation and development that cultural ecology has done for the Lusheng music and dance. The core view of the chapter is the co-existence and co-development of cultural ecology and the Lusheng music and dance.