Research on the Original Religion of the Hezhe and Ainu

Author: Huang Renyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: Opening the book Research on the Primitive Religion of the Hezhe, Nanai, and Ainu, you step into the mysterious and distant spiritual world of ethnic minorities. The gurgling of the Songhua River, the simple customs by the Ussuri River, and the traditional practices of Hokkaido tell us countless legendary stories. The shamanic effigies of the Hezhe people, the shamanic drums of the Nanai people, the divine worship dances of the Ainu people, songs, and images allow you to experience the folk customs and beliefs of these ethnic minorities and gain insight into their primitive religious culture.
This book compares the primitive cultures of two ethnic groups living in different regions of China, Russia, and Japan from four aspects: nature worship, spirit worship, ancestor worship, and shaman worship. Mr. Huang Renyuan is a folk artist and folklorist in China, a visiting researcher at the Shamanic Culture Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the director of the Ethnic Minority Literature Research Office of the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences. For over thirty years, he has tirelessly pursued, excavated, and rescued ethnic minority cultural heritage, traveling across the vast black soil region and venturing into Russia and Japan, dedicating his life to exploring and preserving this heritage. Research on the Primitive Religion of the Hezhe, Nanai, and Ainu is the pinnacle of his lifelong study of ethnic cultures.
In northern China, the Tungusic-Mongolic-speaking ethnic groups share a common belief in shamanism, an ancient religious form that permeates all aspects of the spiritual realm. The shamanic culture phenomenon primarily involves nature worship, spirit worship, ancestor worship, and shaman worship, summarized as "all things have spirits." Shamanic culture research is a significant topic in contemporary academic fields, attracting the attention and importance of humanities scholars worldwide, leading to the establishment of the International Society for Shamanic Studies.
Mr. Huang Renyuan’s monograph Research on the Primitive Religion of the Hezhe, Nanai, and Ainu systematically analyzes the primitive religious culture and characteristics of the Hezhe, Nanai, and Ainu ethnic groups with substantial evidence, unique arguments, and innovative thinking, vividly portraying their inner spiritual world. The book emphasizes primary sources, striving for innovation while building on existing research. To gather study materials, the author lived and worked with the Hezhe people for 18 years. Especially for this book, he visited Russia, Japan, and South Korea, collecting a wealth of primary sources and images, drawing on research findings from domestic and international academia to enrich the content and ideas.
Richly illustrated, easy to understand, and engaging, the book contains 310,000 words and features 24 pages of color illustrations. Numerous images, myths, and folk songs make the descriptions lively and compelling, embedding wisdom within the stories. The book is well-structured and clearly organized. Applying multidisciplinary theories, it conducts multi-level, multi-dimensional research on the shamanic cultures of neighboring ethnic groups such as the Hezhe, Nanai, and Ainu, revealing the relationship between ethnicity and culture, cross-cultural exchanges, and the modest influences among ethnic groups, as well as their contributions to their own and global cultures.
Research on the Primitive Religion of the Hezhe, Nanai, and Ainu fills certain gaps in shamanic studies and holds significant academic value. It has made positive contributions to uncovering and preserving ethnic cultures.