This week I really want to focus on Mabuchi’s article Sphere of Geographical Knowledge and Socio-Political Organization Among the Mountain Peoples of Formosa (1974) because I found the way he describes the Formosan aborigines and their knowledge of geography to be very interestingly put. He divides the geographical knowledge of the Formosan aborigines into three categories: the geographical knowledge of the “Life Sphere”, the “Observation and Hearsay Sphere” and the “Legend Sphere”.

The geographical knowledge of the “Life Sphere” refers to the geography that the Formosan aborigines are aware of due to the many activities that they practice. For example farming, hunting and fishing are all done in different areas; therefore the aborigines are able to expand their geographical knowledge of their lands. Because these activities are related to their daily lives, they form the “Life Sphere”.

The geographical knowledge of the “Observation and Hearsay Sphere” refers to the geography observed by the Formosan aborigines, as well as the geography that is based indirectly on hearsay from outsiders. Headhunting expeditions, trade relations and endogamous marriage contribute to the observation part of the sphere. Outsiders are those who are not part of the “closedness” of a certain tribe. These are the people who contribute to the hearsay part of the sphere.

Finally, the geographical knowledge of the “Legend Sphere” refers to the geography that is preserved through the oral tradition. This geographical knowledge is still present in legends, but is not necessarily known through the “Life Sphere” or the “Observation and Hearsay Sphere”.

This is a very interesting and new way to approach the knowledge of the Formosan aborigines. I have never seen other researchers present the diversity of knowledge in this fashion.  It’s interesting because it is also true. Daily life activities will contribute to the knowledge of a specific geographic area, especially for peoples who are sedentary. The same areas will always be used each for farming, hunting and fishing and the geographical knowledge will not expand too far from that. However, other activities that do not occur daily, such as marriage and headhunting expeditions, contribute to a different knowledge of geography based on observations made by the people involved. This geography is known, but does not factor into the life sphere for the activities are not daily or repetitive but based on observation. People from different tribes can also provide geographic information to the Formosan aborigines. Lastly, unseen geographical knowledge is left in the hands of oral tradition and legend. This knowledge has not been seen but the aborigines know that it exists because their legends tell them thus.

Mabuchi presents five different ethnic groups from Formosa and explains their geographical knowledge based on the three spheres. It is interesting how even within one ethnic group different tribes have different geographical knowledge about their surroundings based on the types of activities they practice and their oral tradition. Those who do not practice headhunting have a different geographical knowledge than those who do practice. Some ethnic groups come from a place located in the “legend sphere” whereas others don’t, again creating a difference between geographical knowledge. I find it interesting how Mabuchi presents the Formosan people this way. It changes how we view the aborigines and their practices. It shows us how different aspects of daily life can contribute to different types of knowledge.

Reference

Mabuchi, Toichi. 1974. "Sphere of Geographical Knowledge and Socio-Political Organization Among the Mountain Peoples of Formosa". Ethnology of the Southwestern Pacific: the Ryukyus-Taiwan-Insular Southeast Asia. Taipei: Chinese Association for Folklore. pp. 175-220