The sustainability of Paiwan traditional food plants and technologies (Taiwan)

Currently, no research has been undertaken to help understand the origin of the Polynesians from an ethnobotanical perspective. This dissertation seeks to understand the food plants and related technologies of the Paiwan, one of the purported ancestral cultures of the Polynesians in Taiwan.; The relationship between Paiwan and their food plants are examined in terms of the functional roles of food processing technologies and traditional ceremonies on the sustainability of Paiwan food plants. Three specific case studies of Paiwan food plants are presented as examples of possible outcomes of changes in the model. It is found that the persistence of traditional practices is not only dependent on finding a new cultural meaning and significance to traditional cultural practice but also the economic means to create the environment and atmosphere that is conducive to their continuous existence. The Paiwan are undergoing a period when they are being challenged to preserve their cultural identity while at the same time, adapt to the social and economical pressures.; The village landscapes of several Amis villages in Hualien County were also surveyed. It is found that there is a significant difference between the Paiwan and Amis in terms of the number of food plants, or specifically, ancient food plants found in the villages. This study has demonstrated that ancient food plant species composition in a village can be used as an indicator for cultural identity. The implication is that village landscape does reflect cultural identity.; Lastly, the Paiwan and Amis plant names were collected to find out if there are apparent cognates between either Amis or Paiwan and other Austronesian languages outside Taiwan as this will provide insights on the movement of plant names into and out of Taiwan. This study has failed to provide reliable information on which ethnic group is truly responsible for the migration movement for most of these plants. One problem is that Chinese influence in South China and Taiwan certainly has not been taken into consideration. Nevertheless, data from this study can serve as a baseline for future studies in the region.