Blang Folk Belief Function Studies

Functionalism takes the view that every institute in social system have functions, and all partial functions contribute to whole social system. As one important part of Blang people's social culture, Folk belief is not only interacting with other social cultures actively, but also has multiple social functions. Based on this understanding, I chose four factors:ecological environment, livelihood mode, daily life and social organization, which have close relationship with folk belief in Blang society. After that, I discussed fork belief and four factors separately, and study how they interact with each other, therefore, proclaim the function of fork belief in modern Blang society.This paper is based on literature research and field work, which consisted by six chapters. The first chapter introduces background information, such as topics reason, relevant research dynamic, research thought and methodology, either the brief description of Blang and field:Laoman'e village. In order to present Blang fork belief clearly and comprehensively, the second chapter introduces the content of Blang fork belief, which contained worship object, such as nature worship, spirits worship and ancestor worship, etc; Ritual, such as passage rite and cultivate ritual; And religious taboo and wizard. Furthermore, the last part of the second chapter introduces relationship between fork belief and Buddhism while Theravada Buddhism and fork belief is integrated in Xishuang'banna. Finally, Blang fork belief is clear and comprehensive. From the third chapter to the sixth's, I discussed four relations in detail, which are fork belief and ecological environment, fork belief and livelihood mode, fork belief and daily life, fork belief and social organization. As far as the first relation is concerned, long-term existence practice gradually formed Blang people's traditional knowledge system, which is not only constraining human's behavior but helping human with adaptation. Fork belief is one part of traditional culture played the same role. However, thousands of years'living practice transferred fork belief into a kind of understanding and notion, which is forming Blang people's ecological perspective of close to nature and protecting nature, which created a beneficial circle between human and nature. In this sense, fork belief has the function of maintenance of ecological environment. As far as the second relation is concerned, fork belief is always the most important part of Blang people's production, especially in the traditional way, such as slash-and-burn cultivation. At that time, Blang people need spirit's permission and protection before cutting trees, burning trees and cultivating. Worship is very popular in Blang's production till now because of the deep supernatural concepts. Nevertheless, booming tea economic does not follow the traditional way and it generates a new man-land relationship. Fork belief shows weakness in this change, and it gradually be marginalized with the change of livelihood mode. Fork belief and daily life is the closest relationship in four. Fork belief adheres with daily life intimately, and it shows fork character. Not matter clothes, food, house, transportation, medical care or passage rite, or festival and social interaction; they all tie to fork belief. Therefore, fork belief guarantees the daily life and has social functions, such as psychological comforting; helping with the transition, reiterating community values and coordinating relationships.As far as the fourth relation is concerned, fork belief is a base of the operation of traditional social organization. Both "headman system" and the last of family "Ga Gun" contain the ancestor worship. As the main body of village management, modern government primary organization meets some new problems. Therefore, traditional social organization is returned after silent many years and becoming a good assistant of government. The reason of its return is who has special social functions, such as organization, coordination and management; moreover, the fork belief is the base and guarantee of its return.In the last part, I proclaimed the multiple functions of fork belief in modern society on the base of comprehensive research. There are maintenance of the ecological environment, explanation and acknowledge, psychological comfort, social integration, cultural communication and heritance. All of those functions keep the regular operation of Blang society.