Abstract: The Hani society has experienced a long evolution from the mutual assistance organizations based on the need for survival and security in the early tribal times and the mutual assistance organizations based on the need to maintain village community in the terraces agrarian times to the mutual assistance organizations based on the need to alleviate “modern anxiety” in the contemporary times. The authors argue that the mutual assistance organizations popular in modern Hani society not only inherit the traditional wisdom of the community-based mutual assistance highlighting the village community and the flexible contractual mutual assistance like Angjuejue, Niutata and Cetazha, but also respond positively to the widespread development anxiety, interpersonal anxiety and cultural anxiety in modern society. Finally, the study contends that these new types of mutual assistance organizations may encounter potential issues such as credit crisis and social fragmentation.

Key words: Hani ethnic group, traditional mutual assistance organization, anxiety, comfort