Tangut

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tangut (Chinese: 党项; pinyin: Dǎngxiàng), also known as the Western Xia were a Qiangic-Tibetan people who moved to northwestern China sometime before the 10th century AD. They spoke the Tangut language, a now-extinct Qiangic language (Tibeto-Burman), which is distantly related to Chinese.

1 History
2 Religion
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

A nomadic tribe, the Tangut moved from place to place and eventually settled in northwestern China (Ningxia, Gansu, and Shaanxi). From the moment they entered this region they have undergone a process of sinicization, a term meaning the adoption of Chinese cultural characteristics. Eventually the Tangut state was founded in the year 982 by Li Deming (李德明). Known in the Chinese language as "Xi-Xia" (西夏), the Tangut people called their state "phiow¹-bjij²-lhjij-lhjij²", which translates to "The Great State of White and Lofty."

Since the Tangut's founding father, Li Deming, was not a very conservative ruler, the Tangut people began to absorb more and more of the Chinese culture that surrounded them, and soon the unique traditions and characteristics of the Tangut people began to fade.

Li Deming's more conservative son, Li Yuanhao, (李元昊) sought to restore and strengthen the Tangut people's identity by ordering the creation of an official Tangut script and by instituting laws that reinforced traditional cultural customs. One of the laws he mandated called for citizens to wear traditional ethnic apparel, and another required wearing hair short or shaving the head, as opposed to the Chinese custom at the time of wearing hair long and knotted. Rejecting the common Chinese name of "Li," he adopted a Tangut name and renamed the capital city "Xingqing" (興慶).

At times, the Tangut kingdom found themselves in the shadow of the Chinese to the East. Several times, the Chinese were able to mobilize Tibetan tribes against the Tangut state. In 1038, Li Yuanhao petitioned the Emperor of China to recognize him as the Emperor of the Tangut state. Although the Song Emperor refused this request, and would only bestow upon him the rank of "governor," Li nevertheless claimed the title of emperor for himself. The Tangut state would continue to exist until it was destroyed by Genghis Khan in the year 1227.

The ancient Tangut capital, Khara-Khoto, was eventually rediscovered by Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov in 1907.

[edit] Religion

The main religion of the Tangut state was Buddhism, which played a very important role in Tangut society. Influence from Tibet is shown, as it is believed that Tangut emperors were viewed as partially spiritual beings. This is reflected by the fact that some sources indicate emperors were referred to as bodhisattvas. The entire Buddhist canon was translated into the Tangut language over a span of 50 years—a remarkable feat, compared to the time it took the Chinese to accomplish the same task. The Buddhism in Xixia is generally believed to be an amalgamation of Tibetan and Chinese traditions, among which Huayan Chan (tradition of Guifeng Zongmi, 780-841) was the most influential. The degree of Tibetan impact on the formation of Tangut Buddhism still remains unexplored, especially in the light of new discoveries showing that Tangut Buddhism owed more to the local culture in Northern China than to pure Tibetan or Chinese influences. One of the more definite sources of Tangut Buddhism was Wutaishan, where both Huayan and Esoteric Buddhism flourished since the late Tang period up to the time of Mongol invasion.

Some conflicting sources claim the Tangut religion is rooted in Confucianism.

The Tangut state enforced strict laws pertaining to the teaching of religious beliefs and rigorously screened potential teachers. Before he was allowed to teach, a newcomer entering the state from Tibet or India first had to seek the approval of local authorities. Doctrines taught and methods used were carefully supervised to ensure there was no possibility that the Tangut people might misunderstand the teachings. Anyone found to be a fortune-teller or charlatan faced immediate persecution. Deeming it contrary to Buddhist ethical beliefs, the Tangut state strictly forbade religious teachers from accepting compensation or reward for their teaching services.

Although the state did not support an official school of Buddhism, it did protect all religious sites and objects within the country's boundaries.

As in China, becoming a monk required government approval, and anyone found to have taken the vows of a monk without such government oversight faced severe punishment.

Remarkable for the time, women played a role in Tangut religious practices by serving as Buddhist nuns, a position that could only be held by a woman who had been widowed or who was an unmarried virgin.