Sacred Food: The Divine “Nutrition” in Sacrificial Offerings

来源 :民族学刊 | 被引量 : 0次 | 上传用户:eduaskbj
下载到本地 , 更方便阅读
声明 : 本文档内容版权归属内容提供方 , 如果您对本文有版权争议 , 可与客服联系进行内容授权或下架
论文部分内容阅读
  Abstract:
  When a particular food is selected to be used in sacrifices, and when this food is given to the people in the name of deities, this action reflects a regionalcultural scenario. After the food has been blessed and offered in the name of the deities, it is said to contain a kind of sacred or divine “nutrition” which is believed blesses the people. Or, it might be said that the sacrifices are presented to the deities as a kind of gift. After the deities have “enjoyed” them, the sacrificial food returns to its original nature—thus, becoming food again. We call this kind of food which is transformed through rituals or food that is given to people in the name of deities “sacred food”. With regard to the anthropology of food, this is an interesting perspective, and it can provide us some interesting revelations, for instances, sacred foods controlling of mans desire for food, or the meaning of “doublenutrition” in sacred food.
  Food is the material basis for mans survival. However, unlike animals, instead of taking food simply as “food” for providing energy, humans connect it with their culture, regarding it as an important part of their cultural constitution. In this case, food joins cultural construction and becomes “dietary culture”. The connection between food and faith is also one important part of this. Hence, our understanding of the cultural meaning of sacred food starts with a general study of the culture of food.
  Concerning the studies of Chinese food culture, Tan Zhiguo states in his cong wenhua renleixue de jiaodu kan zhongguo yinshi wenhua yanjiu (The Study of Chinese Food Culture as Seen from the Perspective of Cultural Anthropology), that “Compared with the splendid dietary culture of Chinese food, the research on Chinese food obviously falls behind. Scholars with different academic backgrounds have done relatively deep research on dietary culture, but the studies on Chinese food culture have not yet formed a complete disciplinary system.” It is obvious that we have splendid “eating”, but rarely “study” the reason behind this splendidness. Since the 1990s, research on dietary culture developed in China. It can be roughly divided into the following categories: 1. research on the basic concept of dietary culture; 2. research on the dietary culture in foreign countries; 3. research on the characteristics of Chinese dietary culture; and 4. research on local and ethnic dietary culture.
  However, most of the research focuses on the meaning of food culture itself; few studies probe the relationship between food and the divine. If we speak from a broad meaning, we could say that food has a relationship with the culture of faith while talking about the ethnic identy and boundary in dietary culture, but this does not conform to the existence of the broad relationship between food and sacred culture.   Sacred foods are sacrifices, and they are also a kind of food which contain spirituality and the idea of faith. These kinds of food are common foods in daily life, but they are be transformed into sacred food through certain rituals, and express the spirit and idea of the faith in turn. At this moment, an obvious boundary is drawn between them and everyday food. This kind of food has been thoroughly represented in the classic discipline of institutionalized religions.The religious definition of these foods is very clear and direct, and they participate directly in the process of representing the spirit and ideas of the religion. Institutionalized religion mainly refers to those religious organizations which constantly expand and spread throughout the world, and contain “three treasures” (lord god, discipline, religion preaching organization). They include, for instance, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. In these religions, food is also a kind of vehicle for expressing their religious ideas and spirit.
  There are also numerous sacred foods in the ethnic folk religion (popular religion). It is not necessary for us to search for the traces of sacred faith food in the works of religious anthropology, because there are so many sacred foods in my fieldwork on ethnic folk religion. However, the approach for representing of sacred food in ethnic folk religion differs from that of institutionalized religion. Instead of directly marking a certain food as a sacred food in the belief system, the ethnic folk religion transforms the food into sacred food via sacrifice. Therefore, the sacred food in ethnic folk religion is always accompanied by the ritual slaughter of domestic animals.
  The sacred food in ethnic folk religion has a double nature—it is food in a more general meaning before being used in a ritual. However, it becomes sacred food via its participation in a certain ritual process. It does not experience any change in its physical nature, but the cultural process gives it a certain conceptual and spiritual meaning. Thus, it contains a double nutrition, i.e. food and sacred power. The former nourishes peoples physical body, and the latter nourishes the spirit, enabling people live within their own cultural meaning. There is no contradiction between the two, i.e. the nutrition and taste of the food has no basic change. However, it is very different in the actual experience. During one of the times I was doing fieldwork, the host served us with a chicken with a strange taste, like residue of chewed wood. Later, someone told me that this chicken had been sacrificed to the deities, so its taste had been “eaten” by the deities. This is unbelievable, but the local Miao people firmly believe that the food that has been sacrificed to the deities has lost its taste. This is because it has been eaten by the deities.   While most sacred food has been stipulated beforehand in the institutionalized religions, the situation in the ethnic folk religions is different—instead of stipulating beforehand, the sacred food in ethnic folk religions has been transformed from some daily food through rituals. Moreover, the food has been given a certain meaning in a certain time, and then, will go back to its own original nature after the rituals. What kind of food can be selected as sacred food in the institutionalized religions? The selection is closely related to the religions cultural origin. Moreover, the food being selected and the way of eating it always differ. This is also the same in ethnic folk religion, but it seems that the selection of sacred food in ethnic folk religion is connected with peoples means of livelihood, for instances, nomadic people mostly take sheep as their sacrifice; farmers mostly take ox, pigs, chickens as sacrifices. This is very significant. Whatever is the basic food that a group of people lives on, becomes their first choice of sacrifice to the deities. Sacred food reflects the most fundamental conditions and significance of the peoples lives.
  Key Words:sacred food; sacrificial offerings; divine; food culture; anthropology of food
  References:
  Cai Xiaomei,Liu Chen.renwen dilixue shijiaoxia de guowai yinshi wenhua yanjiu jinzhan(Research Progress of Foreign Food Culture from the Perspective of Human Geography). In Human Geography,2013(5).
  Chen Guangxin.shijie yinshi wenhua pingshu(World Food Culture Review),In Chinese Cuisine Research,1999(2):38-48.
  Dong Wentian.zhongguo shiwu jinhuashi(Evolutionary History of Chinese Food). In Yenching University Monthly,1929:5(1-2).
  Fang Tie.lun yunnan yinshi wenhua(On Food Culture of Yunnan). In Social Science Front,2007(3).
  gulanjing (the Koran[Section 115,Chapter 16]).
  Hu Yali.guizhou yinshi wenhua lvyou ziyuan kaifa yanjiu(Research of Food Cultural Tourism Resources in Guizhou). In Journal of Henan Normal Univeristy,2011(3):128-130.
  Hua Yingjie,Wu Yingmin,Yu Hexiang. zhonghua shanhai (Chinese Food). Haerbin:haerbin chubanshe,1998.
  Ji Hongkun.woguo dangdai yinshi wenhua yanjiuzhong de jige wenti(Several Issues in the Study of Contemporary Food Culture in China). In Studies of Chinese Cuisine,1994(11).
  Jin Binggao.zhongguo yinshi wenhua de fazhan he tedian(Development and Characteristics of Chinese Food Culture).In Heilongjiang National Series,1999(3).   Jin Taosheng.huaxia yinshi xintai yu yinshi wenhua(Chinese Dietary Psychology and Culture). In Journal of Nongbo University,1997(3).
  Ji Hongkun. zhongguo pengren wenhua yanjiu gongzuo zhong shida guanxi(The Ten Major Relations in the Studies of Chinese Cooking Culture). In Cuisine Journal of Yangzhou University,2008(4).
  Ji Hongkun.jianguo 60 nianlai woguo yinshi wenhua de lishi huigu he fangsi(Historical Review and Reflection on Chinese Food Culture in the Past 60 Years after Founding of New China). In Cuisine Journal of Yangzhou Univeristy,2010(1).
  Jiang Yufeng.meiguo yinshi wenhua zongshu(Review of American Food Culture). In College English,2006(3).
  Lang Qingxiao.zhongguo minshi shi(History of Chinese Food).Shanghai:shangwu yinshuguan,1934.
  Liu Hui.lipingxian zhaoxing dongzu yinshi wenhua shulun(Review of Food Culture of Dong People in Zhaoxing,Liping County).In Journal of Guizhou University for Nationalities,2013(1).
  Liu Yachao.dehong daizu minjie de yinshi wenhua(Food Culture of Dai People in Dehong).In Journal of Yunan Univsersity for Nationalities,2007(5).
  Sun Taiqun.zhongmei yinshi wenhua de duibi yanjiu(A Comparative Study on Chinese and American Food).In Journal of Qiqihar Univeristy,2009(1).
  Tan Zhiguo. cong wenhua renleixue de jiaodu kan zhongguo yinshi wenhua yanjiu(Seeing the Studies on Chinese Food Culture from the Perspective of Cultural Anthropology). In Journal of Hubei University of Economics,2004,(3).
  Wang Xihui.tujiazu yinshi wenhua bianqian de lishi kaocha(Historical Investigation on the Change of Tujia Peoples Food Culture). In Journal of Southwest University for Nationalities,2013(2).
  Xie Julian.Xiyu yinshi wenhua chutan(Preliminary Exploration on Food Culture of Western Region). In Journal of Xinjiang University,2007(4).
  xin jiu yue quanshu (Old and New Testaments). National TSPM, China Christian Council print and distribute (Shanghai),1982.
  Xu Xinjian,Wang Mingke.yinshi wenhua yu zuqun bianjie—guanyu yinshi renleixue de duihua(Catering Culture and Ethnic Boundary—A Conversation about Catering Anthropology). In Journal Guangxi minzu daxue xuebao,2005(6).
  Yao Weijun.ershi shiji zhongguo de yinshi wenhuashi yanjiu(A Research on the History of Chinese Dietary Culture in 20th Century), In Food Culture Research, 2001(1).
  Zeng Guojun,Liu Mei,Liu Bo,Cai Xiaomei. kua difang yinshi wenhua shengchan de guocheng yanjiu—jiyu fuhaohua de yuanzhenxing shijiao(Research of Productive Process of Crossregional Food Culture—Based on the Authenticity Perspective of Symbolization). In Geographical Research,2013(12).
  Zhang Liangcai.zhongguo fengsushi(History of Chinese Folklore), Shanghai:shangwu yinshuguan,1912.
  Zhao Rongguang,Xie Dingyuan.yinshi wenhua gailun(An Introduction to Food Culture).Beijing:zhongguo qingongye chubanshe,2000.
  Zhao Rongguang.zhongguo shi wenhua yanjiu shuxi(Analysis on the Study of Chinese Food Culture).In VESTA(Japanese),1994(1).
其他文献
作为政治学的分支,民族政治学近年来在我国取得了长足的发展,可谓是异军突起。来自政治学、民族学、历史学、马克思主义民族理论与政策等学术背景的诸多专家学者合力促进了这门新兴学科的学术研究和学科建设,形成了诸多备受关注的研究领域,丰富和繁荣了我国哲学社会科学研究的学术拼盘。  于春洋教授一直致力于民族政治学的基础理论研究,取得了可喜成绩,是我国民族政治学研究领域的中坚学者。早在2013年,他就曾在社会科
期刊
Abstract:  Since 2013,the orientation of tusi (native officials) studies has come to a new horizon. Specifically, it is expressed in four aspects: 1) With regard to the aspect of the studies of tusi i
期刊
Abstract:  Lulang is a place name that means “the valley of the dragon king” or “the place where celestial beings live”. As the largest project among the projects providing complementary counterpart a
期刊
DOI:103969/jissn1674-9391201703001  [摘要]本文通过对湘西凤凰传统村落保护的实地调研,采用“文化空间”(cultural space)的概念分析凤凰传统村落保护的方式与前景。认为在文化空间视阈下,对传统村落的保护强调人的主体性,是综合性、本土性和活态性的保护,使文化在这样的空间中存续、发展,从而使传统村落的保护走一条可持续性的保护发展之道。  [关键词]凤凰;传
期刊
Abstract:  As an important part of Chinese Quyi folk art forms, the Quyi folk art of  ethnic minorities in southwest China has an ancient history, myriad forms, unique aesthetics, and rich cultural co
期刊
Abstract:Nutritional Anthropology is an interdisciplinary field resulting from the combination of nutritional science and anthropology and is one which aims to explore the relationship between culture
期刊
[摘要]康沙热巴是丁青热巴中的一个流派,因其第一代热巴艺人来自于今昌都市洛隆县康沙镇康沙村而得名。在這一典型的家族式流浪艺人团体中,扎西曲珍作为该团体中最后一名代表性流浪艺人,其个人的从艺经历、身份表述、舞台建构、生存现状等呈现了西藏丁青康沙热巴的历史传承路径及藏族热巴艺术的当代发展状况。扎西曲珍的个人生活史反映出处于“流浪团体”与“非遗展演”两种不同生活状态下的热巴艺人状态,从而揭示了社会变迁中
期刊
DOI:103969/jissn1674-9391201703009  [摘要]基于印欧文明的比较神话学研究,杜梅齐尔提出了著名的社会三重功能论。其晚期作品《从神话到小说——哈丁古斯的萨迦》的研究表明,三重功能作为一种社会意识形态不但主导了早期印欧社会的神话叙事,也融入于其后世的历史书写和文学创作的题材中。通过论述第三功能神的属性特征,以及不同功能神的魔法等级关系,在说明印欧文明是如何想象完整社会
期刊
Abstract:  Georges Dumézil was the most outstanding scholar of the 20th century in the field of comparative mythology. Using the research gains and methods from sociology, anthropology, studies of his
期刊
[摘要]《藏族宗教史之实地研究》是李安宅先生研究藏族宗教的代表作品,通过梳理书中各个章节的书写次序,可知李安宅在研究过程中对“实地研究”和“历史”的关系的理解及其研究路数的形成过程。比较李安宅与顾颉刚就甘、青地区藏民的族源问题的研究,可知人类学家与历史学家研究方法和使用文献的不同之处,进而帮助我们理解“实地研究”与“历史”的协奏关系。李安宅对藏族宗教的研究中,加入了“历史”维度,是对英国功能学派和
期刊