| Overview |
This project is a continuation of “Digital Archives of Amis and Yami Oral and Translated Legends.” Its goal is to digitize the recordings, transcription and hard-copy documents of two projects subsidized by National Science Council (now the Ministry of Science and Technology) and conducted by the late Dr Liu Pin-Hsiung (d. 2004), Emeritus Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica: “The Oral Literature of Amis and Yami People” (1982-1985) and “Collection and Research of Yami Oral Legends”(1986-1989). The materials of this project also include reports on the practice and ceremonies of fishing of Yami people which have been gathered by Liu since 1977 and the sound data and phonetic transcription of Mr. Unak Tafong from the Fata’an tribe of Amis recorded by Liu in 1958.
Through the decade-long journey Liu has accumulated an immense amount of sound data, including 371 tape recordings (286 Ymi tapes and 85 Ami tapes) and 18,000 pages of note for phonetic transcription and translation painstakingly pulled together by aboriginal research assistants. These precious data are now preserved at the Museum of the Institute of Ethnology. The digital archive will present each sound record in correspondence to its phonetic note and translation, with a view to facilitate through publication the research, study and promotion of the language, literature, folksong, aspects of society and culture of Amis and Yami (Tao) People.
The first year of this project saw the completion of digitizing data of the Amis tribes. In the second and the third year, the digitization of data collected from the Yami six tribes were archived. The purpose of the proposed “Digital Archives of Amis and Yami Oral and Translated Legends (IV)” is to digitize the handwriting Chinese transcripts of Amis and Yami oral legends to facilitate data retrieval in the indexing system of digital archives. The completion of this project can enhance research, preservation and succession of Amis and Yami oral legends. |
