The ecological adaptation of material culture in Taiwan and neighboring islands
Research period: April 2015 – March 2019 / Project for Database Establishment (project period: max. 4 years)
Coordinator NOBAYASHI Atsushi
Outline
Objectives
The main goals of this project are the exploration of material culture in island environments from the perspective of ecological adaptation, to clarify the processes by which natural resources are selected, and to systemize the local knowledge and technical background that is put into practice. To effect these ends, we shall examine tools and crafts created and used in Taiwan and neighboring islands, including the Ryukyu Islands. Basic information related to the ecosystems in which tools are made and used, in addition to their cultural relevance, will be obtained through local studies and from literature study.
This information will be used (1) to establish a database that allows the correlation of the above two main goals, and (2) to facilitate the collection of local knowledge in a multilayered manner using the database to rediscover traditional knowledge and to clarify new knowledge based on information derived from field and literature studies.
Description
The main goals of this project are to elucidate the material culture of island environments from the perspective of ecological adaptation, to clarify the process by which people select resources from the natural environment, and to systemize local knowledge and technical backgrounds used to practice the above. By this approach, material culture is regarded as a survival device created through an ecological adaptation strategy to establish a universal material culture model. However, research has clarified the negotiation relationships and occupational castes and the like among hunter–gatherers, herders and farmers, and has revealed that multiple groups of people inhabiting both different and similar natural environments adopt different occupation strategies and establish complementary relationships among groups. Groups are also well-known to have the same ecological adaptation in similar natural environments and are known to have established different ethnicities with evolved differences in details of the material culture. The overarching goal of this project, based on the Center’s abundant sample materials and relevant ethnographic videos and audio and historical materials, is to explore the common aspects and differences such ecological environments and ethnicities have imparted to material culture.
To achieve the research objectives presented above, this project will observe how material culture is positioned ecologically and culturally by comprehensive collection and analysis of functions, including materials and uses, and information, such as manufacturing techniques, and the like by particularly addressing materials for neighboring island regions, mainly Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. These regions were selected as the emphasis for study and research targets because their natural environments are similar, yet they are ethnically diverse.
The main emphasis is Taiwan, in which Nobayashi (the Coordinator) specializes. Materials for the Tayal, in the north, the Paiwan, in the south, and the Tao, who inhabit an island environment, will be a particular emphasis for verification. First, we will promote local and case studies to conduct cross-verification of material information by local persons and domestic and overseas researchers. After verifying the effectiveness of these methods, we will initiate material studies for the Ryukyu Islands and other areas close to Taiwan. In this way, we aim to promote an efficient and effective project. Using the processes described above, we expect to collect local knowledge in a multilayered manner, with the aims of rediscovering traditional knowledge and of clarifying new knowledge.
Expected results
Note: Results also reveal what kind of database it would be.
The expected results of this project can be summarized as the following five points.
1) Systematize the local knowledge and technical background related to material culture in the island environments and establish the methodology.
2) Clarify common aspects and differences in the material cultures of Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands and neighboring areas, to explain the ecological and cultural contexts in which they were formed.
3) Provide the research community with a multilingual environment that enables online information science analyses related to material cultures, by establishing a comprehensive database related to material cultures in Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. More specifically, the database will have an interface that will allow operation in Japanese, Chinese, and English and which will provide basic data (material names, ethnic group names, etc.) also in these three languages. It will be equipped with a function to add notes to data online and provide links to similar materials in the databases published by major museums and research institutions in Taiwan and the original information related to materials at Minpaku in the format of the original texts.
4) While establishing an organization required to promote this project, we shall conclude academic agreements with domestic and overseas research facilities, and also establish cooperative relationships with material source communities. In addition, the Center will become a core facility for material culture research on Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. These transformations are expected to enhance interoperability.
5) Actively promote the participation of young researchers and main parties of source communities in studies and research required to promote this project, with the aim of developing next-generation researchers for the conduct of local research.
Annual Report
Outcomes from 2018
1. The state of the implementation of this year’s research
1) Held an international symposium, entitled “Ecological and Cultural Approaches to Taiwan and Neighboring Islands,” from July 19 to 21, 2018, which was attended by 41 participants.
2) Accepted 45 individuals (Taiwanese [including 20 indigenous people]: 40; Canadians: 4; and a US citizen: 1) on July 17 and 18, 2018, from overseas for careful review using this platform, and jointly conducted material studies and research.
3) Held an international joint exhibition entitled “The Superimposed South” (at the National Museum of Taiwan History) from October 2, 2018 to April 14, 2019, using the academic archive Uchida collection, whose incorporation into the platform is being considered based on the international academic agreement with the Museum for the promotion of this project, as one of the objectives of the agreement.
4) Scrutinized the platform data on Taiwanese materials opened to the public, as well as organized and studied the materials to be added to the collection data. Organized the records in collecting the Taiwanese materials deposited with us by the National Institute of Japanese Literature and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tokyo, as well as examined them for higher accuracy.
5) Scrutinized 277 items of image data (4 records) from the Uchida collection, whose incorporation into the platform is being considered, which enabled the data to be uploaded.
6) Examined the possibility of uploading into the platform of the materials related to the Ryukyu Islands.
7) Renewed the system for the final version of the platform, based on studies using the platform opened to the public in the first year and findings obtained through the scheduled workshops.
8) Supported the formulation of a careful review plan to be implemented by the Taiwanese counterpart in the next year (Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, Preparation Office of the Museum of Fiber Arts, Taichung, “International Exchange Plan for the research of Boehmeria nivea textiles made by the Tayal and stored by the museum for 108 years”).
2. Overview of the research results (achievements of the research objects)
Based on the research plan, an international symposium was conducted to report research outcomes and to discuss methods for integrating findings obtained through the studies conducted so far and annual workshops. The report manuscripts will be reviewed based on these discussions before submitting an application for entry into Senri Ethnological Studies as collected papers. At the request of indigenous people of the source communities, we accepted overseas reviewers and conducted joint research. The careful review made by the Taiwanese counterpart is categorized into: (1) joint plans by universities and indigenous peoples and (2) cultural renaissance project operators in the local communities. The feature of this new initiative is inclusion of different ethnic members into each group. The international joint exhibition, which uses an archive consisting of images and information on Taiwan of the same period in which the sample materials disclosed on this platform were collected and the materials collected in the same period, is held jointly by the National Museum of Taiwan History. International publication of these materials is also being considered in collaboration with the Museum. We continue to scrutinize for enhancement of their accuracy the disclosed data and the data that may be uploaded in the future.
3. Records disclosing achievements (publications, public symposia, sectional meetings of academic conferences, electronic media, etc.)
○Publication
Paper that has been peer reviewed
2018 “Clothes as Means to Visualize Ethnicity: A Case of Name Correction Process of Taiwan Indigenous Sakizaya People” “Bulletin of the National Museum of Ethnology” 42(4):379-409
Overview
“Methodology and Issues to Convey Ethnic Culture – Efforts at the National Museum of Ethnology” “Museum Communication and Educational Activities” edited by Makiko Yuasa p.209-219, Tokyo: Jusonbo
Others
Atsushi Nobayashi
“Utilization of the Database as a Platform – From the Experience of Workshops in Taiwan” “Minpaku Newsletter” 162:10-11
Oral presentation
Atsushi Nobayashi
‘Evoking the memory and creating a new lineage in the museum: handicrafts of Taiwan Nothi peoples’. The 23rd JSPS “Science in Japan” Forum, the National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC. June 15, 2018.
Atsushi Nobayashi
“Nothing Can Be Returned without Achievements – Free from Academic Social Contributions” Sokendai Cultural Forum and Symposium, “Increase Knowledge and Link Human Networks” at the National Museum of Ethnology on November 24, 2018.
Outcomes from 2017
1. The state of the implementation of this year’s research
1) We closely examined data on the platform for materials related to Taiwan published in the last fiscal year and organized and surveyed materials to add collection information. More specifically, we organized records of the time of collecting the materials related to Taiwan deposited at the National Institute of Japanese Literature and the Department of Cultural Anthropology at The University of Tokyo, and conducted surveys to verify the accuracy of the materials.
2) Based on the international academic agreement signed to implement this project, we invited two researchers from the National Museum of Taiwan History for collaboration in the JSPS Scientific Research (A) “Museology for Museum Networking” and jointly conducted basic surveys of the academic archives (Uchida collection) considered for inclusion in the platform in or after the subsequent fiscal year.
3) From Taiwan, we accepted two cases of detailed reviews that used this platform as a reference.
4) We held village meetings in the residential area of the Atayal people in Miaoli County, Taiwan before the end of the current fiscal year, share the database of materials made in multiple languages with the main parties of source communities, and discuss practical methods of interface verification and knowledge sharing.
5) We conducted basic research of materials related to the Ryukyu Islands and discussed addition to the platform during or after the next fiscal year.
2. Overview of the research results (achievements of the research objects)
Based on the research plan, we achieved the following: 1, conduct fieldwork and hold village meetings to gather information about Taiwan-related materials; 2, continue the organization of information associated with materials related to Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands and preparation of a material register in Japanese and Chinese and has completed the translation of culture item codes into Chinese, which allows transcultural comparative studies; 3, perform close examination and addition of information associated with collections of materials related to Taiwan using materials related to Taiwan deposited at the National Institute of Japanese Literature and the Department of Cultural Anthropology, The University of Tokyo; 4, conduct joint surveys with the National Museum of Taiwan History, with which Minpaku signed an academic exchange agreement, and 5, improve the interactive multilingual database of Taiwan materials through close examination of the data.
3. Records disclosing achievements (publications, public symposia, sectional meetings of academic conferences, electronic media, etc.)
We held village meetings in Taiwan on February 13 and 14, 2018. We updated the data, which were examined by the end of the year in the current fiscal year, and increase the accuracy of the entire platform.
Outcomes from 2016
1. The state of the implementation of this year’s research
After organizing the basic information on Formosan materials, we have completed preparation of a data book written in Japanese, Chinese and English. In addition, making full use of the internet and documentary records to conduct preliminary research we made a summary review of the storage condition of these materials at overseas museums, such as differences in specimen names according to museum.
After designing the interactive database platform with these basal data as its basic contents in Japanese, Chinese and English, a trial operation was begun in the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku). Since no serious problems emerged, an international workshop entitled “International Multilingual Exchange Platform for Formosan Materials” was held at the ”Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center, the Council of Indigenous Peoples” in Pingtung County, Taiwan on November 26, 2016. This was done both for practical purposes and as a verification experiment. The multilingual database was used jointly by researchers in several areas (anthropology, museology, informatics and natural history) both at home and overseas, as well as persons in the source communities for verification of the interface and consideration of practical approaches for sharing knowledge.
At the end of the fiscal year, we will hold a plenary meeting for reporting the annual activities and sharing the formulated plan among the project members.
2. Overview of the research results (achievements of the research objects)
In this fiscal year we have achieved the following goals: 1) Field study to collect information on Formosan materials; 2) Organization of the Formosan-related materials accumulated so far and their “multilingualization” (Japanese, Chinese and English); and 3) Convening an international workshop related to trial production, use and design of the interactive multilingual database. For the Ryukyu Islands materials we are considering an organizational approach according to the operational status of the platform for Formosan materials. After establishing a platform model for Formosan materials, we will proceed with the plans step-by-step in the next year.
3. Records disclosing achievements (publications, public symposia, sectional meetings of academic conferences, electronic media, etc.)
Exhibition of research outcomes entitled “Images of Taiwan Indigenous Peoples” in the Thematic Exhibition Hall, from August 4 through October 4, 2016.
International workshop entitled “International Multilingual Exchange Platform for Formosan Materials” at the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center, the Council of Indigenous Peoples” in Pingtung County, Taiwan, on November 26, 2016.