Abstract
During the Qing Dynasty, the Hakka communities in Gaoping River established a joint organization, Liudui, against external threats. Among these communities, Youdui, a strong community at the north end, was formed by the Mi-nong people. Since the Qing Dynasty, the Mi-nong people have been settling down in Mi-nong, Long-du, Zhutoujiao, and their surrounding areas. They moved from either the other Hakka communities along Gaoping River, or Ping County and Mei County of Guangdong Province, China. Mi-nong people have a high ethnic awareness, strong self-identification, and outstanding agricultural achievements. They once held the record of possessing the biggest tobacco field in Taiwan. This study starts with Mi-nong people’s perspective, to examine how Mi-nong people have continued to preserve their social and cultural traditions under the drastic social change in the past forty years, for example, the sheguan belief in their native land and Gin-ngoi-zu, which reflect the local integration of Liudui. Gin-ngoi-zu is a ritual whereby an adult male, on the day before his wedding, goes to his mother’s family shrine (second to third generation) to worship his ancestors. Usually Gin-ngoi-zu also includes worship in the local temple and homage to the Earth God. In early times, when all were busy farming, this had to be finished in one afternoon, but in the modern time, this ritual can start in the morning. The entire ritual must be led by music and a colored flag. The ritual also requires sacrificial offerings and note offering. When the ritual in a certain place is finished, firecrackers will be set off. By observing the Gin-ngoi-zu tradition of the Mi-nong people, this paper discusses what kind of local society is closely related to the formation and the preservation of the Gin-ngoi-zu tradition. This paper carefully describes the details of Gin-ngoi-zu and the psychology of the contemporary Mi-nong people. It also analyses the basic structure of Gin-ngoi-zu as well as the cultural logic behind the reinforcement of the relationships among family members. Through an extensive historical conceptualization, this paper argues that with the awareness of being surrounded by different ethnic groups, the Hakka communities from Gaoping River area already possess a high level of motivation and strategy of unity. The key of Gin-ngoi-zu is “a married woman who has children.” Therefore, based on the expectation regarding a woman’s role in giving birth and nurturing in Gin-ngoi-zu, this paper analyzes the gender pressure borne by the last generation of the traditional women and how did they internalize this value. The analysis shows that this internalization brings out women’s self-esteem and pride in their contribution to the continuation of the community. On the other hand, Gin-ngoi-zu also reinforces men’s belief in the traditions of farming and education. Through the rituals directed at the local deity, Earth god and the ancestors, led by the elders, men confirm the beliefs, space and people that they shall depend upon in the future. Mi-nong society, which is established under a marital relation strongly held by Gin-ngoi-zu, has become a useful cultural resource to modern society. Finally, this paper will use the Meinong Anti-Dam Movement as an example to explain how political petitions have evolved into a multiple community movement through the formation of a social convention, including the sixty years of experience in growing tobacco (perspective of time), a self-enclosed geographical and educational situation (perspective of space), and highly interactive human relationships reinforced by marriages (human perspective). All of these have led Mi-nong society into the twenty-first century. Key Word: Gin-ngoi-zu, Mi-nong-ngin, Hakka, affinity, ethnography