Final Assignment of 「Field Work in Indigenous Art and Belief」
In contemporary society, people seem to work ,write ,produce or create conveniently due to modern tools ,such as electronicization. However, there’s still something good and traditional that can’t be replaced. We could call it local knowledge, though the local knowledge is not only old things.
During this semester we’ve been to some tribes in the eastern and southern part of Taiwan. We visited some craft makers , artists , clerical workers. They are from Paiwan , Gavalan, Rukai ,Amis ,Truku tribes .While we are talking about Indigenous art, the most important thing even more than the modernity is their belief . How could they express themselves and show how great their faith is? How could they combine tradition and change in their work? Discourse like that is concerned by Humanity and Social-Science researchers.
The course of Field Work in Indigenous Art is a beginning,it starts with not only paperwork but also fieldwork.Without these interviewing routes,we couldn’t realize how artists work and live in tribes and villages.
Our teacher and mentor as well, Prof. Masegseg Gadu Zengror , put some discussions forward and make us to think them over. Actually I’ve mentioned some points of view in the previous paragraph.The other simple comments are following below.
I think in former tribal society,indigenous people beings obtained materials from local sources.These might be the wood in the forest, the stone from the mountain or the beach, floating timber and so on.Whatever they experienced in daily life,these could be the stuff of production. Sometimes, their inspirations occurred by the process they collect, but mostly about legend or myth. In modern times,indigenous people could use implements very well to produce,and also mixed with complex source and aesthetics.
The Amis artist Lahci(拉黑子)has interior design and carving skills.He uses floating timber in the works, and often displays his thinking about the dialogue between tribal worth and nowadays value.
The most impressible people I met during this fieldwork interviewing,I would like to mention about two elders.One of them is Jie Wan Lai(偕萬來),who is Gavalan Tribe.He can speak more than three languages,inclusive Gavalan and Amis language, Manderin,Taiwanese,and Japanese.He devotes himself to Gavalan tribe’s recovery and cultural work. Even though he is not as healthy as before,he still has a strong voice in his national claim. And the other elder is Du Ba Nan(杜巴男), who is Rukai Tribe.He is good at hunting and carving.He could even carry the rock and build a flagstone house by himself. The two old man are both Christian,and they ascribe all that they have to the God they believe.I very adore their modesty.
Nowadays indigenous people might change their religion , just like people we met in the tribes. However, the core value of their national pride wouldn’t lose. I think that human being ,no matter she/he is indigenous people or not, once they take root in self-esteem, they are least likely to change.
I think the only thing that we need to change is our arrogance,especially the proud of academicism and capitalism.
Through the journey of art fieldwork , I found people in various art forms to express their belief , painting , building , woodcarving , knitting , and glass-bead . Just as what I mentioned previously , they often use materials in life and speak with tribal thought and vocabulary(except the painting in non-tribal stuff and western religion). Once I heard a Paiwan artist said: “The art must be born from the mother of culture, that’s the soul. ”I think that’s the way of indigenous art .
In the Occident aesthetic, to know the church building is also a method to understand art. Therefore, we could observe the church in tribe as well.There are two exambles in in Taitung and Pingtung.The dwellers in Taitung (Ji-Ben village of Puyuma tribe)and the habitant in Pintung (Wu-Tai village of Rukai tribe) show different ways of expression for their church .
Due to localization , Catholic church might blend native’s religion.That’s why we could see something like indigenous sign in the Catholic church of Ji-Ben village in Taitung. In the other way, though the Prebyterian is strict with the believer , the hybridity of culture could still be seen in church building after long-term social change.
Actually I have no idea about the church building space.Each space could be an organic place while people act inside, especially for the congregation.
The decorations inside and outside the building are usually the recognization.We could see both Ji-Ben Catholic church and Wu-Tai Presbyterian church set the Cross ,cause it’s the core doctrine of their faith.It means sacrifice for the Lord almighty mentally.And a symbolic human , chieftain’s image appears.In Ji-Ben , the portraits become chairs arranged in order; I think it means even the leader in tribe follows the Lord. In Wu-Tai , the figure stands in front of the church’s flat-top , holds a bell-ringing; it might have the same meaning with Ji-Ben church’s symbol. More than that, I think the chieftain in Wu-Tai also acts as a shepherd , like the metaphor in the Christian Bible.
The Catholic and Prebyterian religion is not native in tribe, in essence the church is not like normal assembly. But I found the two churches I discussed above are trying to be close to the habitants. The surface is not really like the community, but building material is used locally. Maybe it’s a way of identification , and the disciple still seek to find the balance between tribal belief and religionary faith.
I think art could move people, not just because the so-called pretty , it’s luxuriance human being’s thought. It’s human nature , especially for indigenous art.