Qiang Armor Dance Research

The thesis is mainly about "loricae dance" of Qiang Group. I have done some further research on its origins, development, characteristics and inside information in culture, after combining the combing up and summing up of the historical literature and previous researching results on this topic with my survey data. Meanwhile, I have also analyzed its origins, development and variety when it is shown in the battle.I have divided this thesis into three parts, namely preface, four chapters and conclusion. The preface is mainly about the purpose, function, major stuff and methods of this researching, with some research findings.Chapter I, the origins of "loricae dance", has been divided into three parts, with the first section being of the origins and variety of martial dances. I have analyzed the causes of warfare at first, then the origins of martial dances, to realize that martial dances undoubtedly originate in wars, with their forms being related to ancient Wushu dances, and the martial dances may have been derived from the forms of ancient Wushu dances. According to functions of martial dances, it can be classified into three groups, being prewar, after-war dances and educational martial dances. The second section is of the origins and development of "loricae dance". After the analysis of martial dances ofQiang Group, I conclude that the origins of "Kexigela" (the byname of the "loricae dance") may be related to that of "Hari" which, one kind of martial dances, has developed from a simple one to a complex one. The third section is of the comparison between "loricae dance" from Qiang Group and Jiarong Tibetans, in which I have introduced the basic information of these two groups separately and then compared them in their characteristics and commonness. But due to the complication of history and culture, it is difficult for me to get the exact conclusion to the questions as follows: which is the more influential one? Which is born first? Or are they bom at the same time?Chapter II is of the styles and characteristics of "loricae dance". Its styles and ceremonial procedure are depicted in the first section. Then the second section is of the analysis of its styles and symbolic meanings, among which one being the special steps, about the characteristics of "Yubu" (one kind of step in dances and Yu is one well-known person in ancient China) and the possibility that "Yubu" appears in "loricae dance", another one being the characteristics of dancing cadence, about the analysis of the cadence characteristics of "moving in the same side", mainly existing in the highland nationality dances and " taking the right side as the main one" in Qiang Group dances according to the styles, and the third one being the meanings of dancing orders, in which the meanings of circle dance, and the orders' changes which stand forsimulation and sacrifice are involved and analyzed. The third section has given a clear description of the music, duds and property of "loricae dance".Chapter III is about the functions and inside information in culture. The first section is of its functions, consisting of consoling the souls of the dead, conformity and catharsis. "loricae dance" is for martial funeral sacrifice, therefore the meaning of consoling the souls is surely involved, which has something to do with the Qiang people's views on death and life. The function of conformity means uniting people to serve the group's unity, which indicates that Qiang people try to unite people with a utilitarian purpose. The function of catharsis is that people cast their hope to go to heaven and give their catharsis towards the real world by the means of this kind of dance. The second section is of the inside information in culture of the "loricae dance", consisting of the concept of souls, the worship of their ancestors and forces, the remains of maternal culture and the transformation towards the paternal culture, which have indicated the long history of Qiang Group.Chapter IV is about the current situation of "loricae dance". The first section is its recent preserving conditions. Due to the long time's wearing and tearing, multicultural impacts and the lack of personal preservation, now the "loricae dance" is facing great difficulty, for example, less people can do it, and there are fewer places where you canfind this kind of dance, both of which should draw our attention. The second section mainly talks about the value of preserving "loricae dance". When the economy and culture develop greatly, this kind of primitive zoological culture has become more and more precious. While as the primitive zoological culture which stands for Qiang Group, the "loricae dance" deserves to be protected, for its uniqueness is irreplaceable. The third section is of the way of preserving the "loricae dance", among which, there are mainly three groups, namely the free will to protect the culture of groups dance, the assistant form personal preservation and the preservation of groups dance culture. There are many ways to protect the groups culture, but the purpose and functions of the preservation stays the same. We cannot omit the national culture, for they are the symbols of us Chinese people, and once one people has lost his culture, the people cannot exist for a long time.