The Relativity of Time

Huang’s article talks about the traditional ways the Amis tell time. I thought this article was incredibly interesting and it really kept my attention throughout the whole thing. I really like how Huang described the four different ways of time keeping in the Amis village of Iwan. I had no idea that there were several different influences on the way they keep time within the indigenous communities, so this was really interesting to read.

I found it fascinating the way the Amis differentiate between night and day, and the way they figure out the time based on nature. They know when to wake up, eat and work based on the movements of the sun. Time can also be deduced based on the movements of shadows. On rainy or overcast days, the Amis can estimate the time based on how hungry they feel (p.323). To me this is so neat because the Amis have such a strict, everyday routine that they know basically what time of day it is based on the sun, or based on how hungry they are. I just find this really intriguing!

I think it is a shame that the Japanese decided to implement clocks and watches as timekeeping devices on the Amis. It was forced onto them when they did not want it. They invented new words to coincide with what the Japanese wanted from them in terms of timekeeping and punctuality (p. 326). Out of the four imposed ways of keeping time, I think the Japanese imposing clocks and “modern” time upon the Amis is the most upsetting. It completely changed how they went about their days. Children were forced to go to school. Adults were forced into labour, especially as construction workers. They generally worked without payment or for half of the ordinary pay (p. 326-327). This implementation of time even made it more convenient for the KMT rule (p. 328), which of course greatly impacted the indigenous communities.

One of the major things I thought while reading this article was how much simpler life must be without being so worried about time. Nowadays, all we do is worry about time. We have to be places on time. We do not have much time left to live our lives. We spend too much time on the computer and not enough time outside. Everything we do is based on time. I feel like everything could be so much easier if we worried less about time. Time is relative. It is a human invention used to keep order. But the Amis did not keep time like we do now and they had order in their villages. Based on Huang’s article, it seems to me that the Amis in Iwan and a good working social order and were very able to keep up with their agricultural practices. I do not think it will ever happen, but it might be nice one day if we all decided to abandon our “modern” sense of time and start using the sun and the stars to guide us through our daily activities.

Reference:

Huang, Shiun-wey. 2004. “’Times and Images of Others in an Amis Village, Taiwan.” Time & Society 13 (2/3): 321-337.