Japanese Journal of Ethnology

El presente articulo se basa en las investigaciones que fueron llevadas a cabo en los anos 1964-1966 en la comunidad de Socos, un pueblo indigena localizada en el Departamento de Ayacucho en la zona de la sierra central de los Andes. Socos presenta una altura aproximada de 3,300 metros sobre el nivel del mar, se halla en posicion S.O. con respecto a la ciudad de Ayacucho, capital del Departamento y a 20 kilometros de ella; es un pueblo agricola por excelencia, cultivandose: maiz, trigo, cebada, quinua, papas, etc. Segun el Censo Nacional de 1961, la poblacion es de 1,524 habitantes repartidos en 352 familias. A pesar de que Socos es relativamente grande con respecto a las otras comunidades vecinas, no presenta diferencias basicas qus la hagan sobresalir de ellas. En este articulo analizamos el sistema de parentesco y la estructura de la comunidad local relacionandolos con el proceso de las ceremonias matrimoniales, que fueron observadas en Socos. Este analisis puede ser una clave para entender la estructura de la comunidad indigena en general. Al analizar minuciosamente todo el proceso matrimonial, encontramos varios elementos tradicionales, al mismo tiempo hallamos fenomenos caracteristicos propios que deben ser relacionados con la estructura del pueblo de hoy, entre estos se encuentran: 1.-En el proceso matrimonial hay igualdad de participacion por parte del novio y de la novia. 2. -Al parecer se forman dos grupos: uno del novio y el otro de la novia, pero en realidad cada individuo, segun su "kinship status" referido al novio o la novia, participa y acua en las ceremonias, por ejemplo, en el "Perdonakuy". 3. -Estas ceremonias de matrimonio se realizan debido a la cercania de las dos partes. Los fenomenos mencionados estan en relacion con la estructura social de este pueblo, como, veremos en: 1.-Equilibrio de status social entre el hombre y la mujer. El status social de la mujer no es bajo, si vemos su participaci6n en las reuniones del pueblo, su derecho de herencia, su rol como medio de comunicacion en el pueblo y su actividad en la vida economica familiar. 2. -Parentesco bilateral. El principio bilateral es dominante.

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This article is based on fieldwork carried out in Aguni village, a solitary island of the Ryukyu Archipelago, in 1966-1967. This study aims at an analysis of the dynamics of the "munchu : ", a patrilineal kinship system, which exercises dominant control over the social life of rural community common to the Ryukyus. From the social anthropological point of view Aguni kinship organization can be characterized by the simultaneous co-existence of the patrilineal kin group, i.e. "munchu : ", and the egocentered kindred, i.e. "we: ka", "chucho: de:", and "haro: ji". The former tends to function at the level of ritual practices relating to ancestor worship, while the latter has the functional force of forming a temporal corporate group as revealed in daily life. Indeed at present, affiliation to a "munchu : " is decided by patrilineal descent, and yet, this is looked upon as a deviation from the rule of adopting an heir from one "munchu :" into another, but it is said that adoption of this type was occasionally practiced between non-agnatic kin groups until some four generations ago. This causes the internal structure of the Aguni "munchu: " to be so complicated that it is not uncommon to find even double or triple overlappings of patrilines in the case of a particular "munchu : " member. A similar structure is recognizable in the Zamami. Tokashiki and Tonaki islands. In Zamami, for example, there are a number of sacred forest-shrines "utaki", to some one of which each villager respectively belongs. Affiliation to an "utaki" is, as a rule, decided In the male-line. To adopt an heir from a non-agnatic kin group is, however, practiced even today and therefore a kin group based on attachment to an "utaki" includes non-agnates as well. Tradition says that the blood of exiles or refugees, especially from the Shuri Royal Court, runs in the veins of many of the old families of Zamami.

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The purpose of this article is to analyse several types of renewal concepts of the Japanese folk. (1) In the harvest festivals on Yaeyama island, Okinawa, we can discern orgy elements. At these festivals which may be called rituals for yearly renewal, people enthusiastically enter into fertility dances for the coming new year, expressed as "the year of the Miroku", that is, the year in which the utopian world begins with the appearance of the Miroku (a visiting deity). We can find the same elements in the scenes of "the Okageodori" and "Eejanaika" which were recorded in documents of the Edo period. This is one type of renewal concept which was based on agrarian rites. (2) The rites which ward off the world full of evil spirits and welcome the new world, are found in the practices of "Torikoshisyogatsu" in various parts of Japan. These practices have functional force in facilitating the coming of the new year by repeating the new year festivals within the course of the year. In the middle of the Edo period there occurred several Miroku years and in the turbulent Middle Ages "the year of the Miroku" occurred quite frequently, especially in the Kanto district. In this district people warded off evil spirits at the Kashima shrine (Ibaragi prefecture), and hoped or believed that the fertile world of Mioku came from Kashima. In the Kashimaodori and Mirokuodori dances which are still held as divine services, these ideas are expressed ritually. This is another type of renewal concept, by which evil spirits are warded off and the world is purified and cleansed. (3) In Japan renewal through fanatic eschatological concepts did not exist. But the lower classes thought that earthquakes or floods signified renewal because in such disasters people could expect assistance from the authorities People thought that the causes of earthquakes were as follows: the occasion on which the Kashima deity ordinarily presses down upon the sheatfish with a secret stone (Kanameishi), thus causing the earthquake (i. e, reform), sometimes, however, the sheatfish appears as a servant of the gods who revolts against the god of Kashima, changing the earth's axis and bringing catastrophe upon the world.

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