近代西方人眼中的台湾原住民传统信仰

Traditional Aboriginal Beliefs in Taiwan in the Eyes of Modern Westerners

19世纪中叶,随着台湾作为通商口岸开放,大量西方人入台,包括传教士、外交官、科学家、旅行者、商人等,他们在台湾留下了大量的文字资料。当时入台的西方人更感兴趣的莫过于台湾的原住民,因此保留了不少关于原住民及其生活区域描写的文字与图片记录。在西方人的眼中,原住民长期生活在诅咒、巫术、鬼怪的环境中,遇到无法解释的事情就归因于神灵,他们的信仰几乎覆盖了其日常生活的方方面面。

In the middle of 19th century, many immigrants in Taiwan left massive literal materials about the indigenous people＇s life in Taiwan. In the eyes of westerners, the indigenous people long lived in the cursed, witchcraft and phantom environment, in which everything was attributed to God and their beliefs were everywhere in their daily life.