The Ritual Studies Of Hui Nationality

Hui is a minority whose culture is based on the teaching of Islamic faith. There are a lot of rituals in Hui’s everyday life which require intensive academic effort to fully reveal the unique and diverse meaning of each ritual. The Amal of Hui ethnic is not only a cultural symbol of Muslims but also an external integration of religious beliefs and behavior. As an important essence of Hui ritual, Amal exists across all aspects of Muslims’ social life, playing a historic role in the passing down and the retention of Islamic culture in Muslim community. Through the study of the Amal of Hui, we are not only able to understand the core of the Hui Islamic culture from social dimension,but also to grasp the religious practices and psychological expression of Muslims from a deeper psychological level. From an ethnological point of view, Amal is an very important text which are able to provide a comprehensive interpretation of Hui tradition and hence possesses huge academic value.Amongst the 55 minority nationalities in China, Hui has larger population and wider distribution. Thus the inhabitant pattern of Hui is characterized as large dispersion with a few geographical loci. Hui distributed in many provinces of China and concentrated in Gansu, Qinghai,Ningxia and Xingjiang. Chinese is the common language of the Hui and different areas have different dialects. Pingluo is located in the northern part of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,58 Km far from Yinchuan city, the capital of Ningxia. It is the only established counties in Shizuishan city. The east side of Pingluo county is near the Yellow River and its west side is Helan mountain and is influenced by the culture of Hui、Han、Mongolian. Pingluo Tongyi village is located in the east of Pingluo which is a village of traditional Hui undergoing the process of urbanization. Though the fieldwork of Tongyi village, a comprehensive understand of Amal in a deeper level is obtained. According to the fieldwork study on the natural environment, social setting, religious atmosphere and other geography and humanities, this essay aims to provide a detailed description of the Amal’s process, its types and sectarian differences. On this basis, a deep interpretation of various symbols in the Amal will be made in consideration of its history and actual situation. At the same time, this paper will discuss the function of Amal in Muslimcommunity as spiritual solace, ethnic identity promotion, enculturation and education. Finally,through the analysis of the negative impact of the Amal, a better understanding about the legitimacy of this social phenomenon can be achieved. This assay interprets the Hui Amal comprehensively from different angles and different levels. It will not only contribute to the reveal the social life of Muslim and to understand the culture systems of Muslim, but also serve as a complementary effort to enrich similar kinds of academic research and future regional comparative study.