A research on the increase of nuclear family households and the change of ritual knowledge of the Iu Mien (Yao) of Northern Thailand

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We researched the factors of the increase of nuclear family households and the change of ritual knowledge among the Iu Mien society in Northern Thailand. We conducted fieldwork at Iu Mien villages in provinces of Phayao, Nan, and Chiang Rai as well as in Chiang Mai City. The result was as follows ;1.The rapid increase of nuclear family household in Iu Mien society was a part of the process of family-structural change continued for past more than forty years.2.Some units (cash crop cultivation, subsistence crop cultivation, and meal) in former patrilineal joint family have been gradually diversified and then their residence was diversified into nuclear families finally.3.The factors in the diversification of family for long period are as follows ;(1)Intensification of forbid of opium cultivation in 1970's.(2)The end of swidden cultivation caused by the logging-ban policy in 1989.(3)The diversification of occupation (non-agricultural occupation and labor migration)(4)Adaptation to governmental welfare policy and local administration policy.(5)Influences of school education and Thai culture.4.Whilst the increases of nuclear family residence, their ritual activities of ancestor worship were maintained by a unit of several households with patrilineal tie.5.Such non-diversification in ritual aspect is a result of adaptation to the situation as follows ;(1)Scarcity of priests and the decrease of transmission of ritual knowledge between generations.(2)The biased distribution of ritual knowledge to the elder generation was increased.6.Responding such a problem, they organized some cultural revival movements.7.As the result of sedentarisation from swidden cultivation, a new form of shrine worship has been made.8.These phenomena were caused by the change from swidden cultivation to sedentary cultivation and the adaptation to Thai society.