Gendered Cosmology, Landscape and Species-Inclusive Community in Yunnan’s Tibeto-Burman Origin Myths
This paper examines gender- and species-inclusive notions of community as reflected in the origin myths, animistic beliefs and practices of a few Tibeto-Burman minorities in the uplands of China’s southwestern province of Yunnan. Among these minorities, culture-specific views of descent and cosmoce...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Arnold Bergstraesser Institute
2025-02-01
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| Series: | International Quarterly for Asian Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://hasp.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/iqas/article/view/17666 |
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| Summary: | This paper examines gender- and species-inclusive notions of community as reflected in the origin myths, animistic beliefs and practices of a few Tibeto-Burman minorities in the uplands of China’s southwestern province of Yunnan. Among these minorities, culture-specific views of descent and cosmocentric attitudes toward sentient nature showcase women’s social standing and role in enhancing relational empathy with non-human actors or species, as well as with a pantheon of deities who are believed to (co)inhabit or own the physical landscape. Integrating sources of knowledge from environmental history, comparative mythology and anthropology, the paper presents a selection of case studies on the Mosuo, Naxi, Yi and other minority cultures, demonstrating how relations with multiple non-human selves can be genealogical and how rituals aimed at influencing them can have positive effects on community well-being.
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| ISSN: | 2566-686X 2566-6878 |