Environmental Changing And Cultural Adaptation

Ethnology is science that concerns ethnic groups and reveals the rule of their beginning, developing, changing and dying. Any ethnic group's survival and development will follow its own rules and process. However, it is always associated with geographic condition and ecological environment and influenced by them. Because any ethnic group owns its characteristics on living styles, mental culture and so on. But these characteristics and traditions will be constrained by the influence of geographical and environmental condition. It is impossible for ethnology to neglect people's ecological environment.All kinds of disasters on the highland occurred frequently, such as snow storm, earthquake, cold snap, flood, etc. Unfortunately, Tajik people from highland can not go through these disasters because of the poor traffic, ecological environment, and producing conditions. To avoid this situation, the government has made a decision to migrate them to Tajik Abati Town. Until 2001, more than 10,000 people have been moved to live there.Ethnology and anthropology often concern about the changing of minor society. During the changing process of economy, society and culture, anthropology does care about how to change and where to change. It emphasizes on non-major groups, in order to obtain the capability of reflection and solve the problems that we come across.This project attempts to discuss the process of cultural changing and adaptation. Through the literature review, and seen from the ecological anthropology, the author takes Aykirk Village, DaTong Xiang, Taxkorgan County and Taxkorgan Tajik Abati Town, YuePuhu County for example. And the migrants there are compared on different situation. The main contents of thesis are as following:The first part reviews the previous studies on ecological anthropology, the theory of cultural adaptation, cultural changing, and the studies on Tajik. And the purpose, significance, and methods of studies are also presented. The second part is the core of the thesis which introduces the changing of natural environment. Take the"water"culture at Tajik Community of Ayirk Village for example, the author analyses the water of daily life and mental conception. Based on the literature and field research, the author tries to find the clue of cultural adaptation.The third part is, as well as the core of the thesis which discusses the changing of subsistence. Compared with the different regional agriculture and stock raising, the author attempts to discover the motivation of cultural adaptation that is basis on patterns of subsistence.The fourth part is another core of the thesis. It contains the economic and social life in Tajik Abati Town. According to the field investigation, the author researches cultural adaptation in new circumstance.The final part is the conclusion. According to description and analysis on the changing of natural environment, patterns of subsistence and social environment, based on the time and space, especially on different places at the same time, the author discusses the situation of cultural adaptation. Therefore,the author draws two items of conclusion: First of all, if one ethnic group's environment changes, some people will face to the challenge of cultural adaptation; Secondly, based on promoting the natural environment, the reason, generally speaking, is decided by good or poor conditions. But whether this project could success or not, except the natural and social environment, the ethnic group's cultural adaptation should be paid more attention.