2000 Volume 65 Issue 2 Pages 146-167
This paper focuses on the human-building function in the funeral ceremony of the Yi minority group in China, which was formed based on the Yi's idea of the soul and the worship of their ancestors. The funeral ceremony is performed when a person dies; therefore it is the last rite of passage in one's life. The funeral ceremony is intended for a dead person, it has the characteristic feature of dealing with the soul which has left the body behind. Previous research on the funeral ceremony of the Yi people has regarded it simply as a ceremony for the dead, and has mainly dealt with religious, folkloric, and cultural-anthropological concerns. As a result this previous research only informs through concrete description or classification. In contrast, research on the funeral ceremony from an educational viewpoint that deals with the human-building of those mourning the loss of a life, has been relatively rare. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to clarify the human-building function of the funeral ceremony of the Yi in China, especially as it relates to ideas of life and death and the formation of ethnic identity.
