Authority And Prestige:A Study On Social Mechanism Of The Tusi System In North Of Khampa

The North of Khampa located in the Mdo-Kham region of Sichuan Khams has always been an important area for anthropology studying Tibetan society.As an ethnography with the theoretical perspective of historical anthropology which demonstrates the feudalism in Tibetan borderland,this article will focus on the historical myths associated with the family of Gling and Gesar,and mixes the prestige competition about Gesar between the family of Gling and Degre together with the feudal chieftain system,which could help to unscramble the cultural connotation of Gesar and prestige competition in this area.This article will be carried out in sequence along three aspects: history,legend and ritual.Based on the study of sociology and anthropology in feudalism in at home and abroad,this article makes a discussion on previous researches.The article's second part will tease out the family history and the interactive relationship between these two major Tusi,focusing on the historical evolution of the Gling's family,making up for the missing part of previous research.It will represent the literature and historical analysis of the Gling's family in their two flourishing periods of " Gling " and " Gling-tshang ",which aims to clarify the feudal Tusi's authority of Gling's family.The third part stresses the source of prestige of Gling Tusi as a descendant of king Gesar and the intermarriage relationship with the Degre Tusi so order to analyze the power source of the feudal chiefdom as " Rgyal-po " in Khampa society.The fourth part mainly revolves around the field research included the relationship between these two Tusi and the historical ceremony of their family temple,and then presents the prestigious symbol of competition in modern society between Tusi family and their temple.Overall,this article is used to show the prestige competition about Gesar between the family of Gling and Degre ways with the research of the feudal system and the Chinese frontier's Tusi approaching different,and long-term fieldwork.Then discuss the local families as " Rgyal-po " and as the power source of Tusi,and analyze the competition power and value between them.As a ethnographic case,making a further thinking on the political power of Tusi and the operating mechanism of the Tusi system in the Khampa district.