This paper is about research progress made since our last gathering here in Bangkok at the 1st In... more This paper is about research progress made since our last gathering here in Bangkok at the 1st International Conference on Language Development, Language Revitalization, and Multilingual Education in Ethnolinguistic Communities in 2003. In the past five years, our collaborative Austronesia Team has continued development on Pacific Language Mapping accomplishing the digital geo-vectored edition of The Language Atlas of the Pacific Area (Wurm and Hattori 1981, 1983). The Australian Academy of the Humanities, which owns the copyright to the printed maps, has graciously permitted their reproduction and distribution in this form through the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI). The Pacific Language Mapping Website drew heavily on the commitment and
Taiwan (Formosa) is a nation rife with contradictions. The people of Taiwan face the often diffic... more Taiwan (Formosa) is a nation rife with contradictions. The people of Taiwan face the often difficult task of balancing their deep, traditional cultural influences with their roles as citizens in a modern liberal-and advanced technological-society. Thus the question of the Taiwanese identity continues to be an elusive one. Their Chinese heritage looms great in the minds of the Taiwanese, and Daoism historically advises commune with nature. Yet in today's world, the 'built and virtual' are taking over the ecology of the mind, situating nature at a distance rather than as something in which we are immersed. In the midst of this trend, Taiwanese people are normalizing electronics and media in their lifestyles, which risks distracting them from the imperative to confront how their identities are bound up with nature. Nevertheless, in Taiwan nature beckons from the mountains, valleys, plains, shores, and neighbouring islands. Indigenous peoples have been inspired by these landscapes and over the past four centuries this understanding of the environment was transmitted and blended as folk beliefs with emigrant populations from China. Today, this orientation of knowledge could be passed on to generations to come or it could be forgotten. This study has sought to give examples of how Taiwanese have either failed to conserve their heritage or how they have developed the processes by which to select ecological resources and integrate them into their local cultural repertoire. Later in this chapter, I will propose revisiting a continuance of knowledge by using technologies applied to museums of ethnology encouraging the current generation of App users to make sense of their heritage for themselves. Such strategies may enhance local public awareness, education, and heritage conservation.
CH 2.--GEOMORPHOLOGY OF TAIWAN; CH 3.--ANTHROPOLOGY ORIENTATION; CH 4.--PREHISTORY OF TAIWAN; CH ... more CH 2.--GEOMORPHOLOGY OF TAIWAN; CH 3.--ANTHROPOLOGY ORIENTATION; CH 4.--PREHISTORY OF TAIWAN; CH 5.--INDIGENOUS PEOPLES; CH 6.--(GUIDED TOUR) MUSEUM OF INSTITUTE OF ETHNOL...; CH 7.--REFLECTIONS ON FIELD TRIP; CH 9.--CONDUCTING ETHNOLOGY; CH 12.--REFLECTIONS AND DISCUSSION; CH 13.--HAKKA PEOPLE; CH 14.--PREPARATION FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS; CH 15.--GROUP PRESENTATIONS & REFLECTIONS (1); CH 16.--GROUP PRESENTATIONS & REFLECTIONS (2)
2016 22nd International Conference on Virtual System & Multimedia (VSMM), 2016
The aim of the proposed 360-degree virtual reality (VR) documentary explores questions of identit... more The aim of the proposed 360-degree virtual reality (VR) documentary explores questions of identity in the multi-ethnic environment of Taiwan, the connection to perception, tradition, and globalization, as well as how these in turn characterize culture in Taiwan as distinct in the region. The VR framework presented here was conceived by Richard Cornelisse for providing an installation of multi-dimensional experiences of a diverse Taiwanese milieu, that captivates and transports the viewer to a subtle, yet heightened, awareness of local nuances between people, location, and religious rituals. These experiences are meant to re-contextualize how one can understand Taiwan in terms of the people, culture, diversity, and landscape of as both viewer and participant. Our interactive platform activates viewer participation and allows them to engage the subject matter in a unique individualized experience of people and place: one that not only questions how one can understand issues of identity and traditions in a rapidly changing globalized cultural landscape, but also how one can experience local culture and geography through a malleable, immersive, non-linear narrative.
2016 22nd International Conference on Virtual System & Multimedia (VSMM), 2016
In the past year we have researched the extent of Austronesian voyaging and early historical Budd... more In the past year we have researched the extent of Austronesian voyaging and early historical Buddhism in terms of maritime transportation systems across Indonesia. This paper reviews the state of our Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI) Austronesia Team's research collection and mapping of selected regions in Eastern Indonesia, esp. Sulawesi. Our research relates to (1.) specific places connected to distant lands through sea travel featuring time-enabled layers of inter-connective place names in terms of self identification and social transformation, (2.) motivation for mariners, merchants, and monks to carry the dharma from South Asian harbors to other distant ports for religious, economic, and political exchange, and (3.) presenting notions of geographies as points and lines, not boundaries, as a tool for linking the significance of what seems to be unrelated elements, found to be connected in various ways leading to our better understanding of historical continuity, or discontinuity, at designated places. This work in turn becomes a contributing module to the ECAI Atlas of Maritime Buddhism.
Abstract This chapter discusses inspiration and innovation through social transformation taking p... more Abstract This chapter discusses inspiration and innovation through social transformation taking place in Asia through leadership utilizing concepts of Buddhism. In India, values of the Buddhist dhamma are grounded in a permeating esthetic system dating back to early historical times. It was lost there and revitalized in 1956. For Taiwan, inspiration came in the name of humanistic Buddhism that developed in late 19th century China. It offered a moral and practical value system for society at large. Buddhism became socially engaged as part of a cultural ethos for over a generation with underlying integrated roots in local beliefs, esthetics, and practices. The broader question to discuss is how Buddhist values influence policy leadership. Here, we feature engaged Buddhism that emphasizes awareness, compassion, and non-violence, while embracing modern ways of organizing and communication. Cases are provided where Buddhism has shaped leaders’ roles and aims, as well as those of followers guiding reforms for best governance. In India Dr. Ambedkar (1891–1956) embraced Buddhism as a platform for deliverance and championed social equality. His life’s struggle concerned issues of caste, as he was born “untouchable.” The second example is about Dhamma Master Cheng Yen (b. 1937) who established Tzu Chi in eastern Taiwan as a relief agency that became international. Both leaders helped life’s embetterment through Buddhism based on modernity, science, advanced technology, leadership, and democracy. These examples of engaged Buddhism have made tremendous impact pertaining to the people of their nation and serve a model for world development.
序號. 20380. 題名. Visual anthropology and cultural preservation and revitalization：life visual accou... more 序號. 20380. 題名. Visual anthropology and cultural preservation and revitalization：life visual account as community heritage document/ven. ...
International Journal of Humanities and Arts Computing, 2014
This paper covers work using historical geographic information systems (GIS) by the Electronic Cu... more This paper covers work using historical geographic information systems (GIS) by the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI) 2 to trace early navigation in Monsoon Asia. To open a scholarly Web-based platform to a broader audience, the ECAI Austronesia Team is collaborating with the Maritime Buddhism project conceived by Lewis Lancaster. The Maritime Buddhism project is being developed to reach general audiences with a high level of interactivity and 3D visualizations featuring historic timelines, ships, trade routes and trade winds, travelling monks, life at ports, and stories. To allow the information to be more accessible, mobile phone apps and multi-media museum displays are being developed. Austronesian speaking peoples made navigation a way of life across the Indian and Pacific oceans spanning thousands of years. The goal of this integration of content and technology is to enable our understanding of Monsoon Asia, its diffusion of culture, and oceanic navigation to become a...
Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, 1997
ARCHAEOLOGY, CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND THE PACIFIC: A LOOK AT THE EAST COAST OF TAIWAN Dav... more ARCHAEOLOGY, CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND THE PACIFIC: A LOOK AT THE EAST COAST OF TAIWAN David Blundell Department of Anthropology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 107, ROC ABSTRACT The following article is arranged in three ...
This paper looks at aesthetics as a cultural system. This is to say that a culture will be viewed... more This paper looks at aesthetics as a cultural system. This is to say that a culture will be viewed in terms of a worldview and preferences in life that form an identity of people within a society. The case I am exploring comes from a heritage the Sinhala people have shared ...
Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) rose from the dalit undercaste community (untouchables) i... more Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) rose from the dalit undercaste community (untouchables) in India. He educated himself in India and the West and became a national leader in India's struggle for equality and justice. Ambedkar framed the Indian constitution ...
... Japan Academy. Canberra: The Australian National University. Li, Lai-wang, Wu Ming-yi, and Hu... more ... Japan Academy. Canberra: The Australian National University. Li, Lai-wang, Wu Ming-yi, and Huang Tung-chiu 1992 Heritage Transmission: Amis ... Y. Miyamoto. Trans./ed. from Japanese to Chinese by Sung Wen-shun and Lien Chao-mei. Taipei: Southern Materials. ...
This paper is about research progress made since our last gathering here in Bangkok at the 1st In... more This paper is about research progress made since our last gathering here in Bangkok at the 1st International Conference on Language Development, Language Revitalization, and Multilingual Education in Ethnolinguistic Communities in 2003. In the past five years, our collaborative Austronesia Team has continued development on Pacific Language Mapping accomplishing the digital geo-vectored edition of The Language Atlas of the Pacific Area (Wurm and Hattori 1981, 1983). The Australian Academy of the Humanities, which owns the copyright to the printed maps, has graciously permitted their reproduction and distribution in this form through the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI). The Pacific Language Mapping Website drew heavily on the commitment and
Taiwan (Formosa) is a nation rife with contradictions. The people of Taiwan face the often diffic... more Taiwan (Formosa) is a nation rife with contradictions. The people of Taiwan face the often difficult task of balancing their deep, traditional cultural influences with their roles as citizens in a modern liberal-and advanced technological-society. Thus the question of the Taiwanese identity continues to be an elusive one. Their Chinese heritage looms great in the minds of the Taiwanese, and Daoism historically advises commune with nature. Yet in today's world, the 'built and virtual' are taking over the ecology of the mind, situating nature at a distance rather than as something in which we are immersed. In the midst of this trend, Taiwanese people are normalizing electronics and media in their lifestyles, which risks distracting them from the imperative to confront how their identities are bound up with nature. Nevertheless, in Taiwan nature beckons from the mountains, valleys, plains, shores, and neighbouring islands. Indigenous peoples have been inspired by these landscapes and over the past four centuries this understanding of the environment was transmitted and blended as folk beliefs with emigrant populations from China. Today, this orientation of knowledge could be passed on to generations to come or it could be forgotten. This study has sought to give examples of how Taiwanese have either failed to conserve their heritage or how they have developed the processes by which to select ecological resources and integrate them into their local cultural repertoire. Later in this chapter, I will propose revisiting a continuance of knowledge by using technologies applied to museums of ethnology encouraging the current generation of App users to make sense of their heritage for themselves. Such strategies may enhance local public awareness, education, and heritage conservation.
CH 2.--GEOMORPHOLOGY OF TAIWAN; CH 3.--ANTHROPOLOGY ORIENTATION; CH 4.--PREHISTORY OF TAIWAN; CH ... more CH 2.--GEOMORPHOLOGY OF TAIWAN; CH 3.--ANTHROPOLOGY ORIENTATION; CH 4.--PREHISTORY OF TAIWAN; CH 5.--INDIGENOUS PEOPLES; CH 6.--(GUIDED TOUR) MUSEUM OF INSTITUTE OF ETHNOL...; CH 7.--REFLECTIONS ON FIELD TRIP; CH 9.--CONDUCTING ETHNOLOGY; CH 12.--REFLECTIONS AND DISCUSSION; CH 13.--HAKKA PEOPLE; CH 14.--PREPARATION FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS; CH 15.--GROUP PRESENTATIONS & REFLECTIONS (1); CH 16.--GROUP PRESENTATIONS & REFLECTIONS (2)
2016 22nd International Conference on Virtual System & Multimedia (VSMM), 2016
The aim of the proposed 360-degree virtual reality (VR) documentary explores questions of identit... more The aim of the proposed 360-degree virtual reality (VR) documentary explores questions of identity in the multi-ethnic environment of Taiwan, the connection to perception, tradition, and globalization, as well as how these in turn characterize culture in Taiwan as distinct in the region. The VR framework presented here was conceived by Richard Cornelisse for providing an installation of multi-dimensional experiences of a diverse Taiwanese milieu, that captivates and transports the viewer to a subtle, yet heightened, awareness of local nuances between people, location, and religious rituals. These experiences are meant to re-contextualize how one can understand Taiwan in terms of the people, culture, diversity, and landscape of as both viewer and participant. Our interactive platform activates viewer participation and allows them to engage the subject matter in a unique individualized experience of people and place: one that not only questions how one can understand issues of identity and traditions in a rapidly changing globalized cultural landscape, but also how one can experience local culture and geography through a malleable, immersive, non-linear narrative.
2016 22nd International Conference on Virtual System & Multimedia (VSMM), 2016
In the past year we have researched the extent of Austronesian voyaging and early historical Budd... more In the past year we have researched the extent of Austronesian voyaging and early historical Buddhism in terms of maritime transportation systems across Indonesia. This paper reviews the state of our Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI) Austronesia Team's research collection and mapping of selected regions in Eastern Indonesia, esp. Sulawesi. Our research relates to (1.) specific places connected to distant lands through sea travel featuring time-enabled layers of inter-connective place names in terms of self identification and social transformation, (2.) motivation for mariners, merchants, and monks to carry the dharma from South Asian harbors to other distant ports for religious, economic, and political exchange, and (3.) presenting notions of geographies as points and lines, not boundaries, as a tool for linking the significance of what seems to be unrelated elements, found to be connected in various ways leading to our better understanding of historical continuity, or discontinuity, at designated places. This work in turn becomes a contributing module to the ECAI Atlas of Maritime Buddhism.
Abstract This chapter discusses inspiration and innovation through social transformation taking p... more Abstract This chapter discusses inspiration and innovation through social transformation taking place in Asia through leadership utilizing concepts of Buddhism. In India, values of the Buddhist dhamma are grounded in a permeating esthetic system dating back to early historical times. It was lost there and revitalized in 1956. For Taiwan, inspiration came in the name of humanistic Buddhism that developed in late 19th century China. It offered a moral and practical value system for society at large. Buddhism became socially engaged as part of a cultural ethos for over a generation with underlying integrated roots in local beliefs, esthetics, and practices. The broader question to discuss is how Buddhist values influence policy leadership. Here, we feature engaged Buddhism that emphasizes awareness, compassion, and non-violence, while embracing modern ways of organizing and communication. Cases are provided where Buddhism has shaped leaders’ roles and aims, as well as those of followers guiding reforms for best governance. In India Dr. Ambedkar (1891–1956) embraced Buddhism as a platform for deliverance and championed social equality. His life’s struggle concerned issues of caste, as he was born “untouchable.” The second example is about Dhamma Master Cheng Yen (b. 1937) who established Tzu Chi in eastern Taiwan as a relief agency that became international. Both leaders helped life’s embetterment through Buddhism based on modernity, science, advanced technology, leadership, and democracy. These examples of engaged Buddhism have made tremendous impact pertaining to the people of their nation and serve a model for world development.
序號. 20380. 題名. Visual anthropology and cultural preservation and revitalization：life visual accou... more 序號. 20380. 題名. Visual anthropology and cultural preservation and revitalization：life visual account as community heritage document/ven. ...
International Journal of Humanities and Arts Computing, 2014
This paper covers work using historical geographic information systems (GIS) by the Electronic Cu... more This paper covers work using historical geographic information systems (GIS) by the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI) 2 to trace early navigation in Monsoon Asia. To open a scholarly Web-based platform to a broader audience, the ECAI Austronesia Team is collaborating with the Maritime Buddhism project conceived by Lewis Lancaster. The Maritime Buddhism project is being developed to reach general audiences with a high level of interactivity and 3D visualizations featuring historic timelines, ships, trade routes and trade winds, travelling monks, life at ports, and stories. To allow the information to be more accessible, mobile phone apps and multi-media museum displays are being developed. Austronesian speaking peoples made navigation a way of life across the Indian and Pacific oceans spanning thousands of years. The goal of this integration of content and technology is to enable our understanding of Monsoon Asia, its diffusion of culture, and oceanic navigation to become a...
Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, 1997
ARCHAEOLOGY, CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND THE PACIFIC: A LOOK AT THE EAST COAST OF TAIWAN Dav... more ARCHAEOLOGY, CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND THE PACIFIC: A LOOK AT THE EAST COAST OF TAIWAN David Blundell Department of Anthropology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 107, ROC ABSTRACT The following article is arranged in three ...
This paper looks at aesthetics as a cultural system. This is to say that a culture will be viewed... more This paper looks at aesthetics as a cultural system. This is to say that a culture will be viewed in terms of a worldview and preferences in life that form an identity of people within a society. The case I am exploring comes from a heritage the Sinhala people have shared ...
Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) rose from the dalit undercaste community (untouchables) i... more Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) rose from the dalit undercaste community (untouchables) in India. He educated himself in India and the West and became a national leader in India's struggle for equality and justice. Ambedkar framed the Indian constitution ...
... Japan Academy. Canberra: The Australian National University. Li, Lai-wang, Wu Ming-yi, and Hu... more ... Japan Academy. Canberra: The Australian National University. Li, Lai-wang, Wu Ming-yi, and Huang Tung-chiu 1992 Heritage Transmission: Amis ... Y. Miyamoto. Trans./ed. from Japanese to Chinese by Sung Wen-shun and Lien Chao-mei. Taipei: Southern Materials. ...
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