The Study On The Tuwang Worship Of Tujia Ethnic Group In Western Hunan Province

Tuwang worship in Western Hunan Province is the extension as well as the development of Tujia ethnic group's traditions of ancestor worship and hero worship during the Tusi period.It is also the embodiment of Tusi system in the aspect of religion.As an important part of Tusi culture,it exerts a profound influence on Tujia society in Western Hunan Province.This dissertation selects Tuwang worship in Western Hunan Province as the research object.The research intends to analyze the origin and social function the Tuwang worship by systematically summarizing.On the one hand,the research helps to enrich the existing research on Tusi culture.On the other hand,it serves as a case study for the relationship between religion and politics,which offers a valuable reference in the protection and development of Tusi culture.The research finds that Tujia people worship a large number of Tuwang gods,among which "Babudawang","Penggongjuezhu","Xianglaoguanren","Tianhaohan" are the most significant ones.The Tuwang worship ritual is mainly classified into two types.The first type is a collective dance called Baishou Dance.The second type is to individually conduct a ritual called "Fusituo",which represents "redeeming a vow to the Tuwang God".Tujia people's tradition of worshiping ancestors and heroes laid the religious foundation for Tuwang worship.The promotion of Tusi system and the sanctification of Tuwang and his subordinates constitute the political basis of the formation and widely spread of Tuwang worship.After the bureaucratization of native officers by the governments of the Ming and Qing Dynasty,immigrants flooded into Western Hunan Province,which exerted great impacts on traditional Tujia social structure.This is the social reason of the formation of Tuwang worship.Tuwang worship not only profoundly shapes Tujia people's thinking pattern and behavior,but also performs social functions such as moral education,group cohesion and cultural inheritance in Tujia society.