Ecological Anthropological Researches on the Vertical Agriculture of Lisu People: A Case Study in TongLe Village of in Weixi County of Yunnan Province
傈僳族垂直农业的生态人类学研究——以云南省迪庆州维西县同乐村为例

The TongLe village of in Weixi County, Yunnan Province, is a typical Lisu village in the Langcang River Basin. It is located at the national protection zone of traditional culture of Lisupeople and is named an ecological cultural village by UNESCO. Based on distinctive climate diversities of climate at different altitudes, the Lisu people have developed an effective vertical agriculture system. They cultivate rice and wheat in the river basin at an altitude of 1740m; plant corns, nuts, fruits and vegetables around the village at an altitude of 1840m and buckwheat, potato, herbs in the upper"swidden land"at an altitude of 2000m. They also herd draught animals in the alpine meadow at an altitude of 2500m. Based on my fieldwork, this paper has studied the vertical agriculture system and the acculturation of Lisu people in Tongle village by apply theories of Ecological Anthropology, and and employing several anthropology field survey methods such as participant observation and in-depth interviews as the basic methods of Anthropology to discuss the vertical agriculture system and the acculturation of Lisu people in TongLe village. I find that the Lisu people have not only properly utilized the natural resources, but also have developed a related cultural system to facilitate their agriculture production. The vertical agriculture system is comprised of the interrelationship among rice field in the basin, plowland near the village, "swidden land" and the pasture. During difficult production years in one component of this vertical agricultural system, such as floods in the basin, food security is assured by maximizing agricultural production at other altitudes. This diversified livelihood strategy provides a stable foundation forof Lisu people in Tongle village. However, the vertical agriculture system and traditional culture of Lisu people are under challenges with the economic and social development of Northwest Yunnan. First of all First, the lack of labor force is the main threat to the vertical agriculture system. Most young people go out to find a job, and no one wants to work with the old parents in the village. Second, the protection of local religion is weakening. New ideas from outside make young people disobey the worship of the mountain spirit and destroy the forest. Third, the influence of market supply and demand increasingly shapes and changes agricultural and cultural practices. Mushrooms and walnut oil are the most profitable products in Tongle village. The Lisu people put so much time into producing these cash crops that traditional forest products, like the lacquer tree, are being replaced by more profitable forest products like the walnut tree. And last, overgrazing with new collective livestock herding practices is are endangering the high mountain pastures. Putting livestock together is a good way to keep the herd safe from bears, but when the population exceeds the capacity of the environment, environmental degradation is inevitabl