The Primitive Cosmology of Ancient Naxi Animal Worship
This article examines the primitive cosmology reflected in the ancient Naxi people's animal-worship "transformation" (化生) myths, in which a deity's corpse transforms into the sun, moon, earth, and other elements of the world. The author, Li Guowen, argues that such myths, common among ancient peoples, encode early "protophilosophy," science, and history. Focusing on Naxi worship of the tiger, elephant, and green ant, the article traces its origins to the ancient Qiang people, ancestors of the Naxi, Yi, Bai, and other Tibeto-Burman-related ethnic groups. Drawing on historical records (Hou Han Shu), ethnographic accounts, and Yi epic poetry (Meige), the author shows widespread tiger totemism among these peoples—tiger ancestry beliefs, cremation practices tied to tiger-soul return, and rulers wearing tiger skins. This section specifically develops the "world as an organic bodily whole" cosmological view derived from Naxi tiger-worship myths, in which a slain tiger's body parts become heaven, earth, sun, and moon, paralleling similar Yi cosmogonic beliefs.
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