Continuing Discussion of the Concept of Black and White among the Naxi People
Yang Fuquan, YASS
The concept about “Black” and “white” is a cultural phenomena among the ethnic groups of Tibeto-Burman language family including Naxi，Qiang、Tibetan，and Yi as well as the other ethnic groups inhabiting in the surrounding Himalayan area. Some researchers have put much efforts to study the meanings of “White” and “Black” related to the terms of address of the various ethnic groups with much debate. This paper, based on rich information from author’s fieldwork, ethnographic materials and religious and historic records, has made deep and extensive study on the concept of Black and White. It points out that the Naxi and Na ethnic groups worship to White and taboo from Black which reflected in their religion and folk custom, the term “Na”(Black) contain in the address of ethnic groups among Naxi, Na, Nari, Nahai and Namuyi etc. is still a term which must be deeply studied for its real meaning. No matter whether the term Na related to the meanings of Black, huge, big, large, it has nothing to do with so-called“worship to Black. The paper also have significance to go deep to the concept about Black and White of Yi Ethnic Group which have much scholarly debate as well as the concept about color among the ethnic groups of T Tibeto-Burman language family.
