永胜彝族他留人社会生活中的礼物馈赠

Gift Sending in Taliu People's Social Living of the Yi People of Yongsheng

他留人是居住在云南永胜境内一个人口较少的特殊族群,自然环境、历史传统和生计方式等因素,使得他留人的礼物馈赠呈现出独特的文化规则。通过对他留人仪式性场合和非仪式性场合礼物馈赠以及劳力交换的考察发现,他留人社会生活中的礼物馈赠并不是单纯的经济行为,而是体现了其特定情境下的社会功能与文化意义。礼物馈赠这一传统民俗形式强化了他留人的社会关系,承载着他留人的人情伦理,体现了他留人的互惠原则,蕴含着他留人的文化逻辑,在构建人际关系、维护社会秩序等方面发挥了十分重要的作用。

Taliu people are a small population of the Yi people in Yongsheng of Yunnan Province. Because of natural environment, historic traditions and livelihood modes, their gift sending shows unique cultural regulations. Through an examination of their gift sending on ritual and nonritual occasions as well as labor exchange this paper argues that their gift sending is not a simple economic behavior, but it also displays its specific social functions and cultural implications. It strengthens social relations as a traditional custom, passes down ethics, represents the principles of mutual benefits, tells about underlying cultural logic, and plays a significant role in maintaining social order.