History as Sacrifice: The Polynesian Iconoclasm

ABSTRACT The Polynesian iconoclasm comprised a series of destructive episodes in which god‐images were rendered powerless and temples and associated structures were successively burned or torn down in Eastern Polynesia. Beginning in Tahiti and neighbouring Mo'orea in 1815, it spread rapidly to other Society Islands, the Austral Islands and the Southern Cook Islands. In this article I suggest that the willingness of Polynesian leaders to follow Tahitian precedence in destroying or unwrapping their god images can be partially explained by the fact that they saw themselves as participants in a large‐scale sacrifice, the common objective of which was the acquisition of greater mana and the consequent revitalisation of their societies. In making this argument I engage with anthropological theories that address relationships between sacrifice and historical transformation. I conclude by proposing that the Polynesian iconoclasm was a form of rituopraxis comprising regionally specific improvisations upon a general ritual schema.     

清宫萨满祭祀的仪式与神话研究

本文通过对清宫萨满祭祀仪式与满族天宫大战神话的关联分析,论述了满洲中心观的神话学依据,并进一步考察乾隆年间清王朝自身对清宫萨满祭祀与中国上古以来的仪式体系之关系的解释,以说明使得满洲中心观得以成立的宫廷化进程,同时也将自身纳入到了华夏文明的历史与结构当中。     

菲律宾女人--柔韧肩膀的担当

菲律宾女人柔情似水,然而,她们并非尽是软弱,困为菲律宾女人担当起的不仅仅是道义,还有危机和苦难,当然还有创造,甚至整个国家的政治生命和经济命脉.在她们中间,有芳草般洒落在天涯海角的女佣,有无时不在每个人身后的母亲,还有大权在握、叱咤风云的女总统.     

激情、奉献与牺牲:马来亚劳工党的精神遗产--《马来亚劳工党斗争史(1952-1972年)》札记

在战后马来西亚华人政治史上 ,马来西亚华人组织了不少政治组织 ,为马来西亚的政治历史做出了重要的贡献 ,但有的已经消失了 ,劳工党就是其中之一。劳工党不但消失了 ,而且有关劳工党的问题还变成“禁区”。如果说劳工党是一个不起眼的政治小组织 ,那么它被历史遗忘还有一点逻辑性 ,可是劳工党在 5 0— 6 0年代是马来西亚一个强势政党 ,其政治动员能力为其他政党所难以望其项背。忘记历史很容易又很难。劳工党虽然退出历史舞台 ,但它的历史印记却无法磨灭。忘却的历史与历史的发现二战结束后 ,马来亚各族人民掀起反对殖民统治争取独立的浪潮…     

Kabit,Rimbu and Opa: Modalities of Anganen Sacrifice1

ABSTRACT At the time of colonisation and missionisation that quickly saw their abandonment, the Anganen practised two male exclusive cults in which animals were sacrificed in the hope of influencing powerful spirits. One cult, kabit, was only staged to overcome serious affliction thought to be sent by the spirits to individuals of subclans or women married into them. That is, it was a reaction to spirit power. The other cult, rimbu, while practised in response to widespread problems of humans, pigs and gardens, was also undertaken in the hope of increased health and productivity, and thus a possible action as well as a reaction. The paper describes and compares the cults. One major theme is male empowerment, as rimbu not only underwrites male power over others, it is also about empowerment to act on the world as well. While obviously radically different in many respects, at least in local consciousness, the adoption of opa, the giving of money, produce and labour to the church, has resonance with the pre‐colonial situation. Mostly it is undertaken to please what the Anganen see as a vengeful God based on Old Testament stories. However, on occasions such as the lead up to the yasolu pork distribution, the most prestigious event in Anganen, big men may ostentatiously present large gifts of money to missionaries or men may purchase cattle to slaughter, cook and distribute their meat on the opening of new churches. Both instances are beyond emulation by most in the community and, like rimbu may be, venues for male empowerment.     

奉献给先祖的牺牲--加去苗人牯脏节

在有文字记载之前,习俗就承担起传承文化的重任,引领人们一起寻找文化的曙光.     

Migration in the Northern Philippines: the second wave

The author hypothesizes a set of processes of importance for understanding particular examples of peasant-pioneering resettlement. Where competition exists between groups, which are for all purposes equal, that population which is the least committed will have the greater social advantage in situations involving change. Being in the initial stage of making its adaptation, the uncommitted group does not operate under the social constraints and obligations of established groups. The new group does not have to restructure established social relationships to take advantage of new circumstances. As a limited test of this hypothesis, an attempt is made to explain two similar historical events in northeast Luzon: the displacement of Ibanags and Gaddangs in the Cagayan Valley by Ilocanos during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the post World War II displacement of the Ilocanos by other Ilocanos. The success of the newcomers was due to hard work and freedom from kinship ties or similar commitments to the existing social organization. This same pattern of successful secondary pioneering, with socially alienated families intruding on peasant communities, is apparent elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The author suggests that his hypothesis be applied and tested in other parts of the Philippines and Southeast Asia.     

Entertaining a Dangerous Guest: Sacrifice and Play in the Ma'pakorong Ritual of the Sa'dan Toraja

Ma'pakorong is a Toraja ritual performed in honour of the goddess of pox, Puang Ruru‘. She is invited into the village to be entertained with music, cockfighting, and food offerings before being escorted away with the expressed hope that she will not return for seven years. Ludic and sacrificial elements are inextricably interwoven in the rite, particularly in the cockfight, and I analyse these apparently contradictory elements in relation both to recent theoretical writings, and to the Toraja ritual cycle as a whole, drawing parallels with ritual contests in some other Indonesian societies. Besides dealing with illness, conceived as categorical disorder and excessive ‘heat’, the rite is ultimately concerned with the enhancement of fertility, and emphasises community benefits instead of the intense status competition which predominates at mortuary rites.     

Political Obstacles to Decentralization: Evidence from Argentina and the Philippines

Decentralization has swept across the developing world in recent years. Although the speed and scope of the shift toward more decentralized practices is striking, decentralization is neither inevitable nor irreversible. Rather, it faces enormous political obstacles and can be subject to serious setbacks. This article accounts for attempts by national politicians to thwart decentralization in two countries that recently adopted some of the most significant decentralizing changes in their respective regions: Argentina and the Philippines. Based on fieldwork in each country, it suggests that even after the political decision to decentralize has been made, national politicians may face deep‐seated incentives to preserve centralized control over fiscal policy. In Argentina, President Carlos Menem partially reversed the previous decentralization of revenue because fiscally‐independent provincial governors were a challenge to his political interests and capabilities. In the Philippines, legislators attempted to reverse and then circumvent decentralization since it threatened their status as brokers claiming personal credit for negotiating fiscal transfers from the centre. The article identifies an intermediate outcome in both countries, according to which decentralizing policies are neither entirely reversed nor implemented as initially designed.     

食艺菲律宾——从咖啡中了解菲律宾

喝着Travel Cafe里山猫“过滤”后的咖啡,品尝到现代菲律宾的滋味; 住着马尼拉索菲特菲律宾广场酒店的套房;欣赏到现代菲律宾人的爱情。 马尼拉市郊Angahro颇具名望的家旗艺术家,描绘出菲律宾艺术生活的全貌。