Return Of Soul To Place Of Drums And Sheng: Research On The Funeral Rites In Fanglong, Taijiang County, Guizhou Province

Based on the funeral rites in Fanglong Miao Village, Taijiang County, Southeastern of Guizhou Province, focusing on the souls and beliefs of local people in Miao ethnic group, and by field investigation, it is to explore the course of soul in the entire life of people as well as the state and destination of soul after the death of people, expecting to get the outlook on the soul and view of life and death, and analyze the construction of the world after death by the people in Miao Ethnic Group.The people in Miao Ethnic Group believe that people have souls. In Fanglong, people have souls three days after birth. In the long life of people, souls are restless, and the phenomenon of dropping or losing soul frequently occurs. After death, the inspiration of people will completely leave body. However, even though the flesh is dead, the soul is immortal. The soul will be divided into three parts, and the three parts have their own belongings. In funeral, besides arranging for the three parts of soul, one part of soul will be sent to see the ancestors. As far as the people in Fanglong are concerned, the ancestors play drums and Sheng in the heaven. It is the region specially belonging to the people in Miao Ethnic Group, because, the two special cultural symbols of drums and sheng have special significance in the heart of people in Miao Ethnic Group, and soul will unit with the ancestors and relatives in that place eventually. In the meanwhile, only the old people with natural death can have funerals, and only the soul of these people could unit with the ancestors. As for the people without natural death, they do not have funerals, and their soul will never return to the place with drums and sheng. At the same time,The funeral for the dead in the construction of a world after death,also makes the living society got the regularity of integration.