A Soul's Journey: A Lisu Song from Northern Thailand
1975; Volume: 34; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/1177739
ISSN0385-2342
Autores Tópico(s)Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography
ResumoLisu are slash and burn agriculturalists who live in the upland areas cf Northern Thailand, Burma, and Southwestern China (for works on the Lisu see Dessaint, 1971; for a description of Lisu agriculture and photographs, see Dessaint, 1972). Lisu believe that every person has a soul which animates the body. If the soul should depart from the body, the person exhibits characteristic symptoms of anorexia, insomnia, bad dreams, and general malaise. When an individual exhibits these symptoms, they are often diagnosed as caused by soul loss, either because the soul has been captured by some spirit or because the soul has departed of its own volition. The obvious therapy is to cause the person's soul to return to his body. This is accomplished by performing one of several soul calling ceremonies. Some of these involve the construction of a bridge which may simply be a scratch in the ground, two planks pegged into the ground, or a large bridge over a stream or river. Some involve the construction of a path-side resthouse or bench. Others take place inside the house and involve offerings placed on two or three tables beside the door, with branches to either side (hence it is sometimes called the custom of the branches).
Referência(s)