Secularization of sacred space: an analysis of Dai farmers planting rubber trees on holy hills in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

In Xishuangbanna, the religious beliefs of the Dai ethnic minority have shaped the management of ‘holy hills', sacred forests believed to be the dwelling place of the spirit of the ancestors. Logging and reclaiming land on 'holy hills' used to be forbidden by customary law. Shifting state land use policies have blurred the boundary between sacred forests and the secular realm. Indeed, during the past four decades the area covered by 'holy hills' has dramatically receded, with some holy hills partly or totally destroyed in order to plant rubber trees. By looking at the changing meaning of property and the allocation of state property rights, my research seeks to explain how some Dai ‘holy hills’ have been secularized and some others remain sacred.