Form and Meaning in Paiwanese Art and Material Culture
Abstract
The thesis is centred on the art and material culture
of the Paiwanese, an indigenous Taiwanese society. The thesis
begins with an analysis of Paiwanese social organization and
hierarchy in which primogeniture plays an important role. I
explore the ways in which the dominant ordering structure is
expressed in the forms of material culture and the ways in which
cultural meanings are reflected in their art forms. I show the
ways in which the underlying order that is expressed in certain
art forms parallels aspects of Paiwanese social structure. I
explore the aesthetic dimensions of Paiwanese art and the ways in
which aesthetics is associated with cultural values. Aesthetic
forms are closely involved in the value creation process of
Paiwanese society. Finally, I discuss contemporary art production
and tourist art development within their own historical
trajectories to reveal changing attitudes towards the production
of art objects as well as changes in their functions.