A Cultural Ecology Analysis of Ethnic Minority Primitive Religion and the Formation of Physical Movement Culture: A Field Investigation Report on Dongba Dance and Daba Dance
Using cultural ecology theory and field investigation, this study compares the cultural-ecological structures of Dongba dance and Daba dance to explore the internal logic linking minority primitive religion to the formation of body movement culture. Findings show that, guided by primitive religious beliefs, humans used bodily movements to communicate with deities—worshipping gods, warding off disasters, and praying for blessings—which constituted the original impetus for body movement culture. Ritual dances imitating ghosts and spirits (worship ceremonies), pictographic dances mimicking animals (totem worship), and talisman dances for exorcism collectively shaped the content of this movement culture. The strong, stable religious field of primitive religion further fostered its inheritance and development. Within traditional social structures, such religious body movement expressions served multiple functions: comforting communities psychologically and physically, regulating interpersonal relations, easing social tensions, maintaining social order, safeguarding class interests, and stabilizing overall social structure.
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