The Big Picture: Major Influences - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 2

political institutions mediate the interaction between
humans and environments. In addition, we will explore
the meanings and processes of development in the con-
text of globalization and world systems theory . Is the
world becoming increasingly similar? Or is it becoming
more dissimilar? How global is the global economy? Is it
becoming more fragmentary with the formation of com-
petitive regional organizations?

Dragons and Tigers

Dragons and tigers represent the dynamic forces of
power and change. They are symbols long associated
with South, East, and Southeast Asia. In China' s I Ching,
or Book of Changes, the light and dark aspects of yin and
yang are often expressed as dragon and tiger. In Daoism,
yang or goodness is controlled by a green dragon; yin or
evil is controlled by a white tiger. Many a sage sought the
dragon-tiger elixir as a key to immortality . The Chinese
Emperor wore dragon robes and sat on the dragonthrone .
The dragon is used as a metaphor for mountains and
rivers—to cut a pass or install water-control works is to
“tame the dragon.” Bhutan' s national flag incorporates a
large black and white dragon on a background of red and
yellow . Dragons bring luck and protection. They con-
tinue to be incorporated as architectural detail in tem-
ples, hotels, houses, and many other structures.
In the ancient Sanscrit language, “Naga” is a word that
represents a being or deity in the form of a large snake,
often with multiple heads. “Naga” can also mean “dragon”
and is an important symbol in both Buddhism and
Hinduism (Figure 1-1). In Indian myth, nagas are subter-
ranean serpent-beings under the sea. V aruna, the ancient,
religious Vedic god of storms, is King of the Nagas. Nagas
are enemies of Garuda—a large, eagle-like creature popular
in Indonesia. In Hindu myth the important god Vishnu
is said to sleep on a serpent in the cosmic waters. Shiva,
another important deity , wears a snake around his neck.
Among the Dravidian population of southern India, if a
cobra is accidently killed, it is cremated like a person
according to Hindu ritual. There are also many temples
where snakes are worshipped, especially in Kerala state
in India' s southwest. Kashmir' s earliest inhabitants are
believed to be nagas. Here, nag also means “spring” and
many temples of worship were built by springs. Moreover,
nagas remain associated with water by both Hindus and
Muslims (the majority population in Kashmir).
The tiger, aside from being a real, although increas-
ingly rare, animal, is fabled in stories throughout these
realms. In Japan, tigers represented the warrior samurai . In

Figure 1-1
This stone sculpture is one of many forms of a naga. Here, the
beast acts as a guardian figure at a Laotian, Buddhist temple.
Photograph courtesy of B. A. Weightman.

Korea, the tiger is a protective figure, watching over the
land (Figure 1-2). Indonesia is rich in tiger lore with leg-
ends of tiger spirits affecting families, and villages. In many
parts of Asia, tiger teeth and claws are said to induce
prowess and potency . In South Asia, the tiger, along with
the elephant, is a national symbol of India, and tiger images
appear on seals used by early Indus V alley civilizations
more than 4,000 years ago. Betrothed couples in India wear
red and yellow shawls that symbolize the tiger' s stripes of
fertility . East Asian mythology recognizes five types of tiger.
Five T Types of Tiger.

1. White West, Earth and afterlife

2. Blue East, fertility and vegetation

3. Red South and fire

4. Black North and winter

5. Y ellow Sun and center of the universe