Ethnographic Study On The Evolution And Inheritance Of Nigugu In Xun County From The Perspective Of Cultural Reproduction

Nigugu in Xun county is the common name of small clay toys in the north of Henan Province.It was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage protection catalogue in 2006,and has high artistic and cultural value.The inheritance and protection of intangible cultural heritage is not only the survival of itself,but also the adaptability of culture to the changes of modern environment in the process of development.Using the research method of Ethnology and based on the perspective of cultural reproduction theory,this paper makes a detailed ethnographic study on the cultural reproduction process of Nigugu in Xun County,in order to get experience and inspiration,and provide reference for exploring the protection and inheritance of Nigugu and other intangible cultural heritage.In terms of historical origin,starting from the Wagang army of Sui Dynasty,which has been clearly recorded,Nigugu in Xun county has a heritage history of nearly 1400 years,transmitting the cultural information of various periods.In terms of cultural ecology,the soil left behind by the old Yellow River is the main production material of Nigugu.The works of Nigugu also reflect the local folk beliefs around agricultural production services and the folk activities of farmers’ own entertainment.According to its shape,Nigugu in Xun county can be roughly divided into three categories: birds,animals and characters.The theme of birds comes from the bird totem belief of prehistoric humans,which has the function of reproductive worship.Animal themes reflect the simplest and deepest national cultural concepts in the central plains under the background of the agricultural era.The most prominent feature of character themes is that the creative inspiration comes from life.Nigugu in Xun county has experienced a process of constant change:in terms of production technology,techniques are becoming more and more diverse,tools and equipment are upgrading,and the style of works is gradually diversified and mature.In terms of inheritance mode,it is reflected in the gradual combination of family inheritance and social inheritance,the change of artistic styles of descendants in family inheritance,the simplification of ritual procedures in the inheritance from masters to apprentices,and the weakening of the attachment relationship between apprentices and masters.In terms of business mode,the business model and business subjects of Nigugu in Xun county are increasingly diversified,and the inheritors actively explore online publicity and sales channels such as e-commerce and new media platforms.In the practical process of the reproduction of Nigugu culture in Xun county,the government subject,the inheritor subject,the people subject,the consumer subject and the social force subject together constitute the multiple subjects of the reproduction of Nigugu culture in Xun county,which play a role in the reproduction of Nigugu culture in Xun county respectively,forming a good situation of multiple cooperation and joint promotion.In the process of inheritance and development,under the synergy of multiple subjects,through the reconstruction of cultural field and the reconstruction of inheritors’ physical cultural capital,and Nigugu in Xun county can realize the transformation from cultural capital to economic capital,and finally realize productive protection and vigorous development.Although at present,under the collaborative promotion of multiple subjects,Nigugu in Xun county has made remarkable achievements in the process of inheritance and development.However,this study also found that there are problems in the inheritance and development of Nigugu,such as the threat of excessive marketization,the traditional characteristics of intangible cultural heritage,the lack of talent reserve and weak inheritance consciousness,and the modern management ability still needs to be improved.Based on these problems,it puts forward some development suggestions,such as further building the art brand effect,integrating intangible cultural heritage culture into college education,and improving the ability of inheritors to protect productively.