Pig Sacrifices, Mobility and the Ritual Recreation of Community Among the Amis of Taiwan

Abstract

Based on fieldwork in several Austronesian-speaking Amis villages of Taiwan, this article explores the importance of ritual as a nexus for reproducing locality and relatedness in an era of high mobility. Amis pig sacrifices, as ritual exchanges with the ancestors, are a traditionally generative source of life, social identity and village solidarity. Today associated with gendered and generational migration and the flow of money into and out of villages, these ritual occasions continue to bind sedentary and circulating villagers and sustain modern Amis villages as �translocalities�. The key role of paternal-fraternal social organisation and communal feasting in the gathering of scattered villagers and resources demonstrates the relevance of traditional Amis ritual formats in response to changes caused by global forces.