The Ultimate Order - Study On The Abnormal Death Ceremony Of Buyi People

Although death is an inevitable natural course to human,it is not only a symbolof the ending of human’s biological life, but a human history contained withnatural,biological, cultural, and social meanings.Therefore, for any group, death is notan isolated event, but the beginning of another kind of "existence".This paper is theexploreing about the burial ceremony for the"abnormal dead”of the Buyi people inPanxian County of Guizhou Province.The meaning of "abnormal dead”contains notonly the “definition” in forensic science,but also the “definition”in the”concept”of aethnic group,which particularly reflect the culture internal psychological structure of aethnic group.This paper is based on field case,combining the theory of ethnology,anthropology, etc,discussing the form and final relationship between“Death-Disorders-Ritual-Reconstructing of order”,Analyzing deeply thetransformation on structure and expression of symbol about "abnormal deathceremony", Taking the ideas in the funeral ceremony of Buyi people as a startingpoint, analyzing tentatively the universal significance for ethnic group’s order throughthe funeral ceremony.This paper consists of preface, text and epilogue.In the preface there are introduction of the research background,Purpose andsignificance, research status, research methods and fields.In the Chapter1introducing the general situation about Buyi’s concept of deathand funeral custom from historical documents and field investigation.In the Chapter2taking the "abnormal death ritual"as an case,discussing therelationship between the “abnormal death”and the “normal death”in Buyi’sconception,and analyzing the cultural implication of the abnormal death ritualsongs.The last Chapter tend to make the “Ritual”and the “Reconstruction of order”asthe main topic,discussing the ultimacy meaning of the “abnormal death ritual”forgroups of order reconstruction,using the structure function and ritual symbol theory inanthropology.Epilogue:A kind of mature culture must be the one which be kind of death.By Buyi’s conception,The “abnormal dead who is not eligible for “formal deathritual”has made the final polarity subversion to group’s order.Through rituals toadjustment and integration of order in a MinZu’s implicit cultural structure is of greatsignificance.This kind of significance can be the epitome of the cultural issues in thewhole east Asian cultural circle of people,which is the highest level of understandingand respect for life.