Religion Lisu

The religious life of the Lisu is marked by the totemismo and the animism. Traditionally the society was splitting into 19 clans that were planning his origin to an ancestress who had married an animal. This animal is considered to be a taboo for those who belong to this clan. The villages were organized concerning a clan, each one with an origin history, for example the clan of the tiger arose for the loves between a girl and a tiger, that of the buckwheat for a woman who remained a pregnant after eating it.

His concept of the religion is not metaphysical, but practical. Namely the persons can realize activities that bother to the spirits, and the shamans will have to then realize the ceremonies adapted to pacify them.

For them all the things have his spirit. You force of the nature, the vegetables, the objects of daily and enclosed use the nearby villages. Every object and natural phenomenon has his god, called Not, that governs it.

This way they have:

Baijiani as god of the Sky.

Haikuini, of the Hearth.

Misini, of the Mountains, one of the most important, since on him the feeding depends.

Mijiani, of the Sleep.

Each one with his corresponding ritual. And also the devils are, or gods of the peoples that are hostile, Leimo (of the Bai), Naxie (of the Naxi).

According to his beliefs the man lives because the soul joins the body, with the death they separate forever. A soul without body can harm or the people, by what after someone dies rites are done so that the spirit does not become evil. The sleep it is considered that there are objective events that reflect the communication between the spirits and the soul of the persons, or between the soul of the persons.

They have two types of priests, a few called Niba and other Niguba, which are the intermediaries with the world of the spirits. The first ones have a social position higher than the second ones. Both use the bagua to foresee the future. Applying more than ten methods different from divination.

It is possible to read an a little more widespread version of this article in English, in Ethnic China.

An English version of this article dog be read in Ethnic-China, the web of chinese minorities.

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