Rereading the Swei-Sa-Lien：Theorizing the Survival Struggles of the Thao People and The Roles of their Ritual Practices in the Conservation of their Lake-Culture
Date Issued
2005
Date
2005
Author(s)
Chen, Yong-Long
Abstract
In Taiwan, there are more than 12 ethnic groups which were official recognized (and designated) by the government. This dissertation discusses the survival struggles and societal self-defense actions taken by the Thao People who used to lead a life of lake-cultural in and around the beautiful waterfront of Zintun (Sun-Moon Lake). or the past four hundred years, the indigenous peoples have endured many regimes： Dutch’s Army and Company (1624-1662), Mr. Zheng’s Army of Min Dynasty (1662-1683), Chin Dynasty (1683-1895), Japan colonial government (1895-1945), the KMT regime (1945-2000) and the present DPP Government (2000- ). At present, the Thao People is the smallest indigenous groups identified by the regime. As the government has it, the ethnic group nowadays was counted no more than 300 people; i.e. those who were able to be identified because they are still practicing their rituals and are living more or less together around the mountain area of Sun-Moon Lake in Mid-Taiwan.n Sep. 21, 1999, a 6.8 earthquake destroyed about 80% houses of the Thao People’s residential area. Since official resources for reconstruction did not get into Thao area, they were forced to rebuild their community from scratch with their own hands. They made efforts to go back to visit their ancestral living place, which were sub-merged under water after the quake, and made solemn declaration stating that the land as well as the lake are always belonged to the Thao. They fought to preserve their sacred spaces for their everyday subsistence as well as for the revival of their lake-cultural practices. Nowadays, most of the Thao people managed to regroup themselves and live together in their self-built community. They try to revive their traditional craftsmanship and rediscover their lost ritual practices which were inspired and intimately linked to their lake culture. They know their road ahead is still difficult and arduous, yet, the Thao People believe that only their own sustained effort could create a better future for themselves..n this dissertation, my aims -- grounded on evolutionary ecology, historical geography, critical political economy and radical cultural study -- are to study how Thao cultural practices were articulated with their ecosystem, how their culture helped their reconstruction of their community and their identity after the earthquake. Understood that cultures in society are as the genes in ecosystem which constantly interact with the environmental and its changes. So do cultural practices, which were developed on multiple – hidden or not so hidden – cultural logic(s) that serve as mechanism of creative adaptation. These practices, interact with the ecology systems involved, enable the people to defend their ways of live as well as helping the lived-world to escape dangers and flourish. In a sense, we can say the cultural genes have important role to play in terms of societal self-defends and live-maintenance.n the Thao People’s case, I discovered that their rich culture genes -- which funstion as mechanism for creative adaptation – were deeply embedded in their everyday ritual practices. These rituals and practices actually capsulized their immense ecological wisdoms and manifested tested-knowledge from their histories. It preserves collective memories for reminding their descendants what they must remember as historical lessons. On the other hand, their ritual practices also valorized their sacred space, and marked out their normal everyday live space in contrast. Through those rituals links were again made, to connect the Thao people to their space of ancestry site Lalu (island in Zintun / Sun-Moon Lake). Ties are therefore remade, to connect the Thao People’s to their very own lake-culture. In sum, these ‘lake-cultural genes’, so to speak -- as a mechanism of societal self-protection and societal self-addressing – can be understood as one of the must crucial elements which protected the Thao People and their culture from been destroyed.
Subjects
Cultural survival
Ritual practice
Lake- culture
cultural gene
creative adaptation
collective memory
societal self-defense
Bio-Cultural Diversity
SDGs
Type
thesis
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