湘西北的土家族、苗族、汉族错居杂处，他们的文化既各自传承，又相互交流。如要正确认识湘西北的民族文化格局，就非做“三元互动”的研究不可。本文按相互依存、相互渗透、相互转化三个层次解析了湘西北的民族文化格局，进而提出了对几个错居杂处的民族必须从人类学和民族学的视角去做“通”的研究的看法。 The Tujia, Miao and Han nationalities in the northwestern part of Hunan Province have their own unique heritage and exchange with each other. If we want to correctly understand the national culture pattern in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, we should not study the “three-way interaction”. Based on the interdependence, mutual penetration and mutual transformation, this paper analyzes the national cultural pattern in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, and then points out that it is necessary for the ethnic groups in several miscellaneous and complicated localities to do “Tong” research from the perspective of anthropology and ethnology view.