The purpose of this study is seeking to establish a further research method and a model for the intangible cultural heritage. I focus on the cultural practices of the age organization of ‘Atolan Amis People and their different generation: the kakita’an, mikomoday, malikoda’ay and the komond, to realise how they deal with the outside influences by proceeding the cultural revitalization movement, struggle from the problem of traditional territory and the co-management with the government and use the Amis Music Festival as another way to communicate with the mainstream society before they construct the relationship of coopetition within these processes to practice, create and represent the cultural forms to safeguard their culture. The “safeguarding” in my opinion, is to emphasize the agency from the context and the process rather than results in any legal system to provide more references for the further research of the intangible cultural heritage.
This dissertation divides into two main parts with seven chapters and the conclusion. In the first part, I bring my problematic and survey the construction of intangible cultural heritage from UNESCO and the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act in Taiwan and I review the researches which relate to the intangible cultural heritage, the studies of the Amis/Pangcah People and the theories of social sciences to clarify the strategy of intangible cultural heritage should be emphasize on the “results” or the “process.” I also collate the information of the basic forms of ‘Atolan Amis Peoples’ inside society and the age organization. In the second part, I present the ritual ceremonies, actions in territory protesting, the dispute about the ritual objects and the Amis Music Festival in my ethnography to discuss the coopetition and argue the processes of the cultural reproduction and practices which become a way for safeguarding their cultures.
I advise four conclusions in the last chapter: (1) The age organization of ‘Atolan Amis People is not just a unit which have been safeguarding their culture but also the ‘Atolan Amis Peoples’ culture itself. (2) The researchers should pay more attention to the processes of cultural reproduction than the results. (3) The replacement or the overthrow will not be enforced in the coopetition so that the capitals can be accumulated, practiced, and transformed in the field continuously. (4) This dissertation supplies more viewpoints to establish a new model for further research to enhance the understanding of intangible cultural heritage.