J4 ›› 2012, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (1): 5-10.
保头制度是清末及民国时期流行于凉山地区的一种半官方、半民间的制度，其存在及运行与那个时代整个中国社会、凉山彝族社会性质和当地民族关系等紧密相关。此种制度通过保费把投保人和保头联系在一起，建立一种临时的或长久的合作关系，但在这种关系中投保人和保头的地位是不平等的，因而其是一种畸形的社会制度。总体而言，其对地方社会和整个国家而言，消极作用是占主导的。然而这种制度却能够流行，从一个侧面说明了民国时期政府对彝族聚居地区治理的不善。
During late Qing and Republican Period, the system of Baotou was a popular semi-official and semi-private system in Liangshan region. The existence of the system was closely related with the whole Chinese society, the nature of Liangshan Yi society and the local ethnic relations at that time. Such a system associated with the insured and the Baotou by the insurance premiums, and established a temporary or long-term relationship between them. In this relationship the status of the insured and the Baotou was inequality, which was a type of deformity of the social system. Overall, for the local community and the country as a whole, the negative effect of the system is dominant. However, the appearance and popularity of this system indicated from one angle that the
Government of the Republican governace to Yi was bad.
