FIELDNOTE_0426_NALUWAN_CHARMAINE
We had a very engaging time this week at Naluwan with our grandmas. Together with the grandmas, we made seashell hanging ornaments using the shells we collected last week.
Reflection on how Place can be Preserved for Generations to Come
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Interesting how you managed to discover the Amis language connection to Malay, further connection to Austronesian, and the similarities the language has to other Asian languages. I also liked your posed questions, which are in line with what I am concerned about after reading your piece. I remembered posing such a similar question to my Ahma, regarding whether there would be a loss of culture as the younger generation starts to live far away from their original hometown, Taitung. She mentioned that the younger generation here in Naluwan, Hsinchu are working hard to continue to uphold the Amis culture and roots in their new "home". So hopefully for generations to come, the Amis people will not lose their heritage, and not forget their original roots.
Ocean in Amis culture
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Did you scan the photos and write down the lyrics?
These are important artifacts that carries memories and stories belong to the grandma and her generation, for instance, their relationship with the ocean, fishery and seafood, etc.
https://ubrand.udn.com/ubrand/story/12116/4095581
How do they maintain such relationship in the urban setting? What is the meaning of sea to them after living in Hsinchu for decades? Do they feel the difference between the sea in Hsinchu and inTaidung? Why?
artifacts and identity
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how do artifacts such as songs, grocery stores, fishing tools, etc help Naluwan people claim their identities (cultural, professional, social, personal?)
Songs as artifacts
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There are manu artifacts mentioned in your fieldnote--songs, stories, fishing tools, grocery stores, etc. How do you analyze these artifacts--why and how were they constructed, used? What are the social, economic, cultural meanings/functions of these artifacts? And how have these artifacts helped construct the sense of place and identity of the Naluwan people?
place and the sense of belonging
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you have read Tim Cresswell's book 地方：記憶、想像與認同
can you apply the theory to conceptualize the stories collected from Naluwan--what did the grandma's story teach us about Naluwan people's sense of place and belong when life forced them to move and live in between Meishan and Xianshan, among different ethnic culture?
the psychological and material aspects of "home" and "being at home"
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What does "home" mean for the Amis? Do material infrastructures play a role in defining the meaning and perception of home? What is the role of Amis women in maintaining the household?
https://wcoh.nttu.edu.tw/var/file/31/1031/img/192/198393977.pdf
https://kjmu.org.tw/%E9%98%BF%E7%BE%8E%E6%97%8F%E5%82%B3%E7%B5%B1%E5%BB…
Place, memories and governance
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Interestingly you point out the linear (seeing from the State) vs nonlinear (seeing from the community) dimension. Comparing to Singapore, where government has more authority and coherent plan on urban planning, the Naluwan's experience seems to suggest a different form of governance between the government and the local society. In your prompts, you mentioned Singaporean government's urban planning to create fair housing, greeneries, as well as ethnic policies on promoting integration. I am curious about how you would describe "the sense of community and place" constructed by the top-down authority, comparing to the disordered, spontanious, bottom-up self-assembly mode we saw in Naluwan
the social and political construction of place/borders
sharonkuIn response to
Great questions! Please follow up during the interviews. I am also curious about your experiences of traveling to Naluwan via various transportation methods. Are there different senses of place when you travel by car, by train, by foot?