The folk customs of an ethnic group are their living and spiritual culture which were created , inherited , and enjoyed by genera-tions of that group .It has a function in the educa-tion, norms , unity, regulations, aesthetics, etc. of the group .The function of regulations is reflec-ted in three aspects:1 ) regulating the relations of human beings; 2 ) regulating individual psychol-ogy; and 3 ) regulating the relations between man and nature .Seen from the perspective of current environmental protection , the most important con-tent found in the regulations of the relations be-tween the man and nature is protecting the environ-ment through specific behavior , and promoting the importance of environmental protection through specific behavior or public form . Many ethnic groups in the world have flood myths.There are many reasons for the creation of flood myths .However , one aspect is clear - the cause of the flood reflects a kind of concept linked with the culture of man .For example , the cause of the flood in the Bible was that God saw that mankind lost its morality and people did not re-ceive him kindly .The causes of the flood myth a-mong the various Yi branches are different .Among them one cause was that humans reclaimed land excessively, therefore, the leader of the heavenly deities created a flood to punish them .For exam-ple, the flood myth popular in the Yi area of Guizhou connects the cause and effect of the peo-ple’ s intensive farming with the flood .If we in-terpret this myth within the context of environmen-tal protection , we will reach a different conclusion which goes beyond its former meaning . In the Yi’ s traditional society , in addition to the education of environmental protection in the form of literature , there are also rituals which play a function in environmental protection .Seen from xinan yizhi ( Southwest Yi History ) and a large number of ancient Yi classics , as well as the folk-lore among the Yi society , there are a lot of envi-ronmental protection behaviors in the Yi ’ s tradi-tional beliefs and their rituals .Furthermore, they are highly effective . According to the materials provided by some researchers from Liangshan Prefectural Nationali-ties Research Institute , there is an Yi area named Dibo Luoga which lies between Zhaojue and Xichang .In this place , every household has a for-est of bamboo , cypress and poplar around their houses .Every household has an average of a half mu ( more than 300 square meters ) of self-plan-ted forest, which is like a private plot in the past . In this area , every household maintains the good tradition of planting trees and protecting forests , and does not practice the bad habit of excessive deforestation.In addition, the local residents ac-cept modern scientific knowledge of planting .After they harvest the crops , they plant green manure in their field, leaving only a few pieces of land for planting carrots .Why is there this kind of wonder-ful phenomena?It is not the result of measures en-forced by a powerful organization ’ s or specific i-deological work , but the result from the local resi-dents’ awareness on the importance of environmen-tal protection .They take measures to protect the environment through a combination of traditional customs, modern knowledge, and related manage-ment institutions .This kind of environmental pro-tection method has been included in the local rules and regulations so as to regulate the local resi-dents’ behavior. This is worthy of noting within the many envi-ronmental experiences in China .Large amounts of deforestation has not only reduced the kinds of ani-mals and plants , but has even resulted in the dis-appearance of animals and plants .This has resul-ted in a serious ecological imbalance .There are al-so a lot of things related to environment that should be noticed in Liangshan .Trees in the mountains have been cut down; nothing grows in some places, and there is a gradual process of desertifi-cation .Seen from various phenomenona , the cause of environmental degradation in the Liangshan Yi area, in addition to the same reasons in other places, is due to the weakening of traditional be-liefs and the absence of scientific rationality .Mo-reover , when people receive few benefits , they ig-nore the wealth of natural environment left by their ancestors for generations .In Liangshan , in addi-tion to the five small industrial enterprises ( small coal mines, small steel mills, small fertilizer plants, small cement plants and small machinery factories), there are wine factories and other pro-cessing factories .The wastewater from these enter-prises is drained into the rivers or fields without any treatment. From the myths and epics found among the Yi and other ethnic people , we should notice that the ethnic people ’ s ecological philosophy of adapta-tion to the nature and moderate exploitation of the nature.Due to the existence of this philosophy , there is a kind of environmental protection method from the angle of religious belief .However , the Yi area in Sichuan stepped into the socialist society directly from Slave Society .For them, it seems that the culture change has been achieved over-night.People did not know what to do , and there was a serious cultural fracture .Therefore, for the environmental protection in the Yi area , the author of this article states that their excellent traditions should be fully used and let them continue to play their regulatory functions .The ancestors ’ idea on nature should be adopted .Moreover , the govern-ment also should take actions , introduce modern management institutions , enhance environmental education , and consider combining the traditional culture which protects the environment with modern science .By doing so , it will change the traditional cultural regulations into a comprehensive cultural soft power enabling it to play the role of maintai-ning the ecological environment of human beings .
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