An Analysis of the Ecological Idea of Bouyei Ethnic People in ManagingNatural

林妮

【Abstract】The Bouyei people largely depend upon natural resources for daily necessities， and have rich ecological idea in worshiping， utilizing and managing the natural resources. The current thesis aims to address their ecological idea in sustainable management of the natural resource.

【Key words】The Bouyei; natural resources; ecological idea

The Bouyei nationality is the 11th largest ethnic group officially recognized by PRC， and they live in semi-tropical， high-altitude forests of southern mainland in China. They largely depend upon natural resources for daily necessities. To live in a sustainable way， they go all out to utilize ecological knowledge to keep harmonious relationship with nature. So far， however， there have been few English papers describing ecological ideas of the Bouyei people. The current thesis aims to address their sustainable management of the natural resources.

1. Ecological idea in livelihood

The Bouyei people highly depend on natural resources for the cloth they wearing and the house they living in. However， the Bouyei conform to the ecological term “vital needs”， which means the basic needs of human beings. It is the same with ecological lifestyle motto， simple in means and rich in ends. （Devall & Sessions， 1985：67）

Many Bouyei villages had their own weaving technology. In Bouyei village， overwhelming majority households have their own weaving machines to make cloth for self-consumption （Wu， 1997）. Girls are required to learn how to make cloth in their childhood， and then make cloth for their parents. The Bouyei make cloth by using local available materials. In order to plant indigo and cotton， each family has land. The land is open and high altitude field， because cotton needs to attain more sunshine. Bouyeis clothing can illustrate their perception and adaptation of the indigenous knowledge， resource management well.

The Bouyei people like to use all kinds of construction materials to build their house， so the residences of the Bouyei people are very diverse and natural. They have slabstone houses， thatched houses， rammed and stilted houses， houses built by riversides or in mountains in compact communities. In some houses， the lower part is stone wall， the middle part is wooden wall and the upper part is bamboo wall， or the lower part stone wall， the middle part earth wall and the upper part made of bamboo， straw and thatch. In the karst mountain topography of Zhangjiang， there also live some Bouyei people. The houses there alternate from vertical to horizontal giving the place a harmonious beauty.

The seventh principle of deep ecology stresses the importance of simple living： “The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating life quality （dwelling in situations of inherent value） rather than adhering to an increasingly higher standard of living. ” （Devall & Sessions， 1985：70） The Bouyei advocates simple living through their actions.

2. Ecological idea in nature worship

The Bouyei believe their good living condition is given by nature and they dont think human beings are the master of nature. Famous ecologist Arne Naess （1989） pointed out that ecocentric equality refers to that all the life forms in nature are equal， including the inorganic substance， such as the water and the land. The Bouyei also worship every creature in nature， and believe that everything on earth having a soul and that nature has magic power to create both fortune and misfortune. Accordingly， they worship the natural gods in all of their festival and even enshrine in their house.

The Bouyei worship natural gods in festivals. They believe that all the good-tempered tree fairy save polder district from any disasters and provide agriculture and fishery there with refuges and shelters， and that the gods guard the village， leaving the valuable wealth for later generations. Therefore， there are many festival related to protecting trees. For example， on the March 3rd or June 6th （Chinese lunar calendar， below is the same.）， the Bouyei offer sacrifice to the god of forest， land， mountain and water （Chen， 2008）. Whats more they also have Afforestation Day on January 28th， Harvesting Day on 15 August etc. These festivals are still preserved well， because the establishment of these days admonishes the villagers that they should worship， respect and not infringe nature intentionally.

Nearly all households worship shrine in halls. The shrine is holy and sacred place， which is dedicated to a specific ancestor， hero， deity， saint or similar figure of awe， at which they are worshiped or venerated. Shrine is made of a wood rectangular cabinet with window， door and closet. The surface of shrine is engraved with auspicious patterns， such as Good Fortune， Prosperity， Longevity， and Happiness， Peace and Prosperity， Good Harvest， etc. Moreover， it is coated with red paint. Before the New Years Eve Dinner， every family usually offers oblations such as wine， pork， joss sticks， candles， and joss paper to ancestors and some natural gods in front of the shrine built beside houses to bless safe and prosperous in the next year （Liu & Xue， 2012）.

The ecological idea of “everything on earth having a soul” is ultimately manifested by the Bouyei worship of nature. Therefore， they never grab their living materials from nature mercilessly， but in a sustainable way.

3. Ecological idea in local regulation

Aldo Leopold （1987） said that all the organic and inorganic creatures in the natural surroundings share the same living right. Human beings are not superior to the other species. Therefore， beings should respect each life form for their intrinsic value. Everything in ecosystem is closely related and connected to everything else. Possessing the same value with Leopold， the Bouyei has a very strict local regulation in natural resources management to protect nature. It is orally inherited and very effective.

Bouyei people attach much importance to forest. They enacted some regulations as “cutting the firewood is only permitted in the private forestland， or will be fined. People who cuts one tree will be fined 1 Liang （20 Liang=1 kg） silver， Fengshui-tree-cutting will be fined more than 12 Liang. Fire-setting is prohibited and will be fined with 60kg of rice， 60kg of pork and 60kg of wine” （Ying & Ding， 2003）. The inobservant person will be penalized to plant the trees and bring them up as long as three years.

To Bouyei people， the environmental qualification is evaluated on the fortune it brings about. After a long period of observation and practice， Bouyei comes to a kind of “fengshui taboo” to protect their living environment. Those fengshui taboos are like unwritten regulation and react to human behavior. Primitively， the “fengshui taboo” is to preserve good luck. Psychologically， it meets the Bouyei peoples psychological needs of getting the sense of security and consolation. Environmentally， it is aims to create an ideal habitat. The “fengshui taboo” pursues for the good ecological environment， and its positive significance far beyond its superstitious part and it plays a very good effect on the protection of ecosystem.

Naess wrote in an ecological point of view： “the right of all forms to live is a universal right which cannot be quantified. No single species of living being has more of this particular right to live and to unfold than any other species.” （Devall & Sessions， 1985：67） Naess and the Bouyeis ecological thoughts were quite alike. Those regulation not only effectively promotes ecological environment and biological diversity， but also promotes joint development of environmental and economy development the Bouyei area.

4. Conclusion

Bouyei people have rich ecological lore in their life. They concern about the  harmony between nature and human， and their ecological ideas of natural resource management are key knowledge for sustainable development. Therefore， they utilize the natural resource well and protect it well for sustainable development. It is essential  to attach much importance to preserve and to make great use of the ecological concept， then passing it on to our next generations （Mauro & Preston， 2000）.

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