Changes in the Saye'erhe Performance Field and Subject Gender of Tujia Ethnic Group
Saye'erhe(撒叶儿嗬)is a ritual song and dance performed by Tujia people in the Qingjiang river basin of Hubei Province to worship the deceased.There were originally taboos that"beyond the mourning hall"and"female subjects"could not perform the funeral dance,which formed the"opposition between the sacred mourning hall and the secular stage"in its performance field and the"division between male and female"in the subject gender.By observing the changes in the performance field and subject gender of the Tujia people's Saye'erhe,the paper concludes that their opposition is constantly moving towards integration in the process of social development.The former has realized multifaceted integration through stage and public square performances,while the integration of the latter is still one last mile away from the stage.