Contenu du sommaire : Dieux du sol en Asie

Masters of the land and gods of the territory in Ladakh Masters of the land and gods of the territory populate the landscape alongside people in Ladakh, a former Buddhist kingdom along the border with Tibet. Thanks to their ability to act on natural and atmospheric phenomena, they are preferred intermediaries, worshiped as much as feared. Material collected in settled fanning communities in the upper Indus valley serves to provide an account of the diversity of the cults observed for these entities by Tibetan groups. The significance of these cults varies as a function of the group's geographical location, history and way of life.

The nourishing god and the cannibalistic sorcerer : Place-spirits among the northern Magar (Nepal) Two ceremonies observed for two contrasting land divinities in a shamanistic society in western Nepal condition the community's prosperity. The first divinity, Bhume, is domesticated through sacrifices made by the chief, a descendant of the clan that founded the village. The second divinity is portrayed as a sorcerer : once a year, shamans extract it from under the soil where they had buried it ; and once freed, this spirit hunts down a human prey. In this way, the sorcerer dramatically manifests the telluric force that has been pacified in the form of Bhume.

God of the land and water, and messianism among the Pwo Karen (Thaïland) The rites performed for the god of land and water among three Pwo Karen groups in western and northern Thaïland are described. This community's identity is based on the relation between people and the territory they occupy, a relation implying reciprocity, complementariness and harmony. The earth divinities, with whom the Karen struck a moral pact when they settled in the area, vouchsafe good behavior among humans. Contemporary issues in rural Thaïland raise questions about certain clauses in this pact. Through ceremonies inspired by Buddhism but tinted with messianism, the Karen are trying to reestablish this relation by reaffirming an ideal of life, which enables them to be the intermediaries between the gods and territory.

The master-python on Sumba (East Indonesia) On Sumba in East Indonesia, the notion of « master of the land » (tuan tanah) is closely linked to the traditional activity of weaving. In the west of the island, among the Laboya, a python is said to have woven the earth. It is the ancestor of a clan that, considered to be the master of the land, is responsible for the fertility of the land and its inhabitants. This python-weaver serves as an intermediary. Through it, the transgressions committed by the community can be evacuated during yearly celebrations. This creator-intermediary's status is starting to come under question as the Laboya are converting to Christianity.

Chiefs, gods of the land and land registry in Nepal In Nepal, a discreet but omnipresent divinity, Bhume (god of the land and earth), hides, underneath an apparently uniform terminology, multiple ritual practices closely linked to the authority of local chiefs. His cult reflects shifts of power as the installation of a Hindu royal model led to centralization in politics and especially land matters. This centralization has changed the status of local chiefs and taken the wildness out of the Bhume figure. Although tribal communities still worship this divinity, Bhume is becoming more of a god of administrative land registry than of power.

Between heaven and earth : Divine mediation among the T'aï What changes has the conversion to Buddhism of peoples belonging to the T'ai language group brought about in cosmology and messianic conceptions and, too, in the religious observances and beliefs associated with land divinities ? The sky, toward which most religious practices were turned before Indianization, has yielded importance in the Buddhist context to the earth and underworld. Interestingly, this analysis sheds light on the fusion, substitution and reciprocal adaptation between certain pre-Buddhist entities and other entities introduced locally by Buddhism.

Places, ancestors and cereals : Gods of the land in Japan Japanese gods of the land are often described as territorial divinities, land-clearing ancestors, purified forms of the deceased, the wild spirits of those who died violent deaths, gods of agriculture, or underworld forces. Whether as guardian spirits or as easily angered beings, they can be sovereign as well as rebellious. The diversity of their qualities reflects the attribution of a community of essence to people and the earth, which accounts for overlapping land and blood ties. In a context marked by Buddhism, this apparent lack of clarity in names and functions underlies the conviction that all beings and things are ultimately one.