雲南の森林史 I : 中甸盆地の神山(<特集>雲南およびその周辺)

Abstract

The Jungden basin, situated in the high mountain area of northwestern Yunnan Province, has a predominantly Tibetan population who live mainly by animal husbandry and dry farming. Although the Tibetans have traditionally used forest resources to a limited degree, for fuel, construction and fodder, the forest around the basin, originally high mountain conifer forest, has been almost completely degraded to shrub or grassland as the result of forest exploitation that began in the 1970s. Today, the only blocks of forest that remain unexploited are those dedicated to the mountain god "Gshi-bdag, " a local tutelary deity. Each hamlet in the basin has at least one "Gshi-bdag" forest which is left uncut, since people believe that disturbance of these forests will invite disaster, such as death of people or domestic animals. God-mountain forests and the associated beliefs are observed among not only Tibetan but also Han and Tai peoples in southern Yunnan. These patches of forest appear as oases in a desert of denudation. Here, I discuss the ethos or attitudes of people that keep part of the forest untouched.