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.