An Aesthetical Anthropology Investigation On The Sacrificial Rite Of The Ethnic Group Of Heiyi-Zhuangs

Being one part of the valuable resources of minority nationality culture in China, the ethnic culture of Heiyi-Zhuangs is also a piece of virgin land in the realm of ethnic culture research and aesthetical anthropology research. With its original elements and properties, the ethnic culture of Heiyi-Zhuangs shows great potential for academic research, little efforts, however, has been made to the theoretical research and scientific reasoning on the ethnic culture of Heiyi-Zhuangs, its sacrificial rites in particular, due to the restraint of various conditions. As the sacrificial rite retain the most primitive elements and the unique traits of the ethnic group, they can be the common focus for research in anthropology and aesthetics. Besides, they are the manifestations and combination of the viewpoints of Heiyi-Zhuangs on nature, society, religion, culture and aesthetics, thus playing an important role in the research on the ethnic culture of Heiyi-Zhuangs. However, we cannot deny that, the lack of scientific principles has made it difficult for further theoretical expanation of the sacrificial rite of the ethnic culture of Heiyi-Zhuangs. As a burgeoning boderline discipline combining aesthetics and anthropology, aesthetic anthropology makes an attempt to, with solid field work, going deep down to the daily life of the ethnic group people to obtain thorough first-hand information, giving an elaboration of every detail of its culture via "thick description", then making in-depth analysis of the essence of the culture for the law and logic governing it, discover ultimately the vigor and vitality of minority nationality cultures, which have become peripheral culture and bottom culture in modern society. Making investigation into the sacrificial rite of Heiyi-Zhuangs can not only enrich case studies for the discipline itself, helping to work out theory through practice, but also provide practical approaches and methods and sound scientific principles for the research into the sacrificial rite of Heiyi-Zhuangs. Globalization means that new quality of culture stem from periphery. Ethnic culture and arts, undistorted and dissimilated, spout out vigor and vitality in an endless stream, as is the case of Nanning International Folk Songs and Arts Festival. Based on the two two-week investigations on the ethnic group of Heiyi-Zhuangs'life in Nongwen Village, Napo County, Baise City, the present essay attempts to provides its creative theoretical interpretation and reasoning on the sacrificial rite of Heiyi-Zhuangs from an perspective of aesthetic anthropology. Tuoxiao rite (ceremony held for being out of the period of mourning), Sanyuesan (annual fair held on the third day of the third month by lunar year), Anlong rite (ceremony of setting up a symbolic dragon) and other daily sacrificial offering activities mainly present the overall picture of the sacrificial rite of Heiyi-Zhuangs, which, as we can see, retain many ethnic elements: move in endless cycles pattern of thinking, the "Yin and Yang are one"(negative and positive are one) outlook on nature and vestiges of farming society. They not only are the oldest memory codes of the sacrificial rite and culture of Heiyi-Zhuangs, but determine and influence the thinking pattern and functioning mechanism of the sacrificial rite and its culture and even of the whole culture system of the ethnic group of Heiyi-Zhuangs, among which the aesthetic system manifests some characteristics that are closely related to daily life. Through the special meaning of "A Second Death", aesthetic system constructs its special sign system and symbol system among the members of the ethnic group of Heiyi-Zhuangs, making possible for the reconstruction in its functioning of power network in reality. In such a sign system as the sacrificial rite and its culture, related to blood relationship and the category of the subject's desire, the individual's desire of the ethnic group of Heiyi-Zhuangs intends to breach the taboo ideology "gazing"and gained a force for overall expression via aesthetic deforming mechanism. Members of the ethnic group of Heiyi-Zhuangs, therefore, influenced by the aesthetic ideology of sacrificial rites and its culture, have shown a strong feeling for culture recognition and overall communication. Meanwhile, the poetic scent sent out from the dynamic expression of the group manifested the essence of non-alienation and ideal relationship on their part that one coexists harmoniously with nature, society, others and oneself. Vicissitudes of the sacrificial rite of Heiyi-Zhuangs do not mean the loss of ethnic traits. Instead, it is the process of its self-adjustment and exploration for the combination with modern civilization. The charms and values of the ethnic group culture of Heiyi-Zhuang peoples in modern society lies in its simple, primitive and unsophisticated traits and its unique native aesthetic style which can enlighten us on the pursuit of harmonious relation with nature at a higher level.