The Value of Dongba Culture from a Humanistic Perspective
This article examines the cultural value of Dongba culture, an ancient tradition of the Naxi people in Lijiang, Yunnan, whose classical texts are inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. Preserved through Dongba religion, a primitive belief system, this culture has a history spanning over a millennium. Drawing on sociological perspectives (notably Peter Berger's theory of religion as world-construction), the author argues that Dongba religion played a foundational role in constructing and maintaining Naxi social order by establishing a comprehensive divine system encompassing nature worship, ancestor worship, and fertility worship, thereby fostering communal cohesion and spiritual authority. The paper further explores Dongba religion's relationship to secular life and its rationalizing function, the significance of this still-living culture for global cultural pluralism, and the importance of Lijiang's folk heritage for cultural environmental protection. The study frames Dongba culture as a unique humanistic paradigm reflecting universal human values, survival wisdom, and historical consciousness despite its small scale and remote regional origins.
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