How the Body Gets Healthy: An Empirical Case of Animism and Naturalism Working Together in the Treatment of Disease Among the Nuosu People of Southwest China

This paper examines perceptions of illness and related therapeutic practices observed among the Nuosu, an ethnic minority group of Southwest China. The paper will discuss the interplay between animism and naturalism in the treatment of Nuosu illness. Through a case study of a young Nuosu woman’s treatment of illness, the analysis reveals a relationship between animism and naturalism that is both antagonistic and synergistic. At the epistemological level, these two ontologies diverge; however, when confronted with differences in knowledge, the Nuosu worldview and view of illness exhibit a ‘relational’ model of intimate connection between human and non-human entities. The Nuosu did not reject naturalism, but rather ‘made connections’ in a way that led to greater intellectual convergence between animism and naturalism, thus providing a basis for cooperation between the two. On a practical level, modern medicine focuses on physical healing, while the Nuosu’s rituals emphasize the healing of the soul and body to achieve health. The integration of animism and naturalism in the healing process by the Nuosu allowed for cooperation and complementarity between the two in the realm of practice.