The Study Of Vicissitudes Of Nomadic Culture In Hequ

Hequ, the first bend of the winding Yellow River, has always been an ideal place for settling down and grazing, especially to the Qiang, Dangxiang, Tufan, Tuguhun and Mongolian people. While the Mongolian Plateau in the north and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—a remarkable symbol for the Chinese culture—are the most developed nomadic sites in the inner land, Hequ, a place located on the border of Gansu Province, Qinghai Province and Sichuan Province, south to the Yellow River, is unique in that it combines the Mongolian nomadism and the Tibetan nomadism on its land.700 years have passed since the ancestors of the Mongolian people in Henan migrated to Hequ in 1253. After settling down, they became nomads following their nomadic Anduo Tibetan neighbers. It was at that time the root of the Mongolian-Tibetan nomadism was buried. For all the ethnical differences, the Mongolians and the Tibetans ended up adopting the same method of production—nomadism—due to the continuous interaction between the two culture. From co-inhabiting a site to sharing the same belief, language and habits, the connection between the two groups finally developed into the unique Hequ Mongolian-Tibetan nomadic culture and has been passed down to today. It’s of great importance in both the Mongolian history and the Tibetan history.Hequ is the originate place of the Mongolian-Tibetan nomadic culture. It makes possible of the grand cultural interaction between the Mongolians and the Tibetans. However, due to the geographical and historical reasons, the Mongolian culture in Henan County was preoccupied by the predominate Tibetan culture and their nomadism was subjected to great changes. Hence, how to rescue and revolve the original nomadism be becomes the priority for us to consider. The problem should be solved the sooner the better.The thesis is based on fieldworks and theoretical analysis in the area of ecology, animal husbandry, eco-economy, ethnic studies, anthropology and nomadism, using the example of the Mongolian Autonomous County of Henan in Qinghai Province to illustrate the vicissitudes of Hequ nomadic culture, to establish a connection between theories and practice, and to provide a detailed analysis of the rise, features and causes of changing of the Mongolian nomadism.The thesis was divided into 7 parts. Introduction part is about the goals, the meaning, the methods and other related activities of the study, some theoretical concepts, and the connection between ecology and nomadism.Chapter 1 introduces the rise of the Mongolian nomadic culture in Henan County, including how nomadism was formed here, the uprises and changes throughout history, and the influence of the Labuleng Temple on the nomadic society.Chapter 2 talks about the deep meaning of maintaing the original Mongolian nomadism in Henan County, in which I provided religious, traditional and artistic understandings and explanations of the original nomadism.Chapter 3 discusses the vicissitudes of animal husbandry in Henan County, specifically the changes of the supervising principles and the maneuver of development. The necessity of promoting organic animal husbandry, the potential and meaning of development and the obstacles and difficulties in development were also addressed in this chapter.Chapter 4 is the core of the thesis in which I analyzed the causes of vicissitudes of the Mongolian nomadism and provided a forecast for its future in the light of ethnic studies and anthropology. The first part is an analysis of reasons; the second part is the guidance for inheriting and developing the Mongolian nomadism.In Conclusion part, I summed up the fundamental causes of the vicissitudes, the remaining problems today and the tendency of development in the future. Further reflection was included based on my personal understandings.Last is the cited works which are all the precious materials about the Mongolian-Tibetan nomadic culture in Henan County. They were added for the further completeness of the thesis.