本文係以前申靈觀的角度，詮釋阿美族疾病與醫療之間的關係。研究時間自1992年至2001年止，以阿美族里漏社祭師團體(sikawasay)具有醫療行為之儀式為研究對象。 在里漏社的阿美族祭師團相信，身體與神靈之間是息息相關的。當族人的健康狀況出現問題時，常被視為其靈魂被神靈帶走，生病時在經過多次中、西醫治療無效後，才會求助部落的sikawasay（祭師），祭師藉mipuhpuh（去穢祭）儀式得知該病患靈魂的去處或被hidan（致病神靈）囚禁，再視其病徵舉行patevu（尋靈祭）儀式。Patevu（尋靈祭）儀式中有嚴謹的醫療程序，依不同的病徵呼喚神靈為患者治病，祭師在病患身體各部位，以一定的順序進行不同醫療方式，並藉各種祭具達到醫療效果及目的。 從里漏社阿美族的醫療儀式過程中，不僅勾勒出由「身體－靈魂－祭師－神靈」之間相互關係下，醫療行為所牽引的宗教觀念，並在傳統宗教信仰的基礎上，將其靈魂觀訴諸其體的醫療行為，說明了靈與疾病之間所具有的隱性聯結。

The purpose of this paper is to interpret the relationship between the Amis' illness and healing from the perspective of the kawas. The period of conducting this research is from 1992 to 2001 and the focus of which is on the group of the sikawasay (priests) and on their healing behavior in the rituals. The sikawasay in the Lidaw village believe that body and the kawas are related c1osely. When health of the villagers is not in a good condition, such an illness is considered to be a person's soul taken away by the kawas. If a patient has received several times of Chinese and West medical treatment and is still unable to recover from an illness, he/she will ask the sikawasay to cure his/her illness. By means of mipuhpuh (the ritual of erasing contaminant), the sikawasay will know where the soul of patient is located or the soul is held by the patevu (the kawas who give sicknesses). Then, the sikawasay examine a symptom of illness and hold the ritual of the patevu (the ritual of seeking soul). The healing procedure of the patevu is rigid, such as, different symptoms of illness are healed by different kawas invoked by the sikawasay. In this ritual the sikawasay heals different parts of the patient's body and enact a certain procedure to practice different forms of medical treatment. Besides this, the sikawasay use various types of ritual objects to accomplish aims and effects of the healing. The process of the healing rituals in the village not only delineates the relationships between body, soul, the sikawasay and the kawas but also evolves healing behavior in relation to the concept of religion. On the basis of traditional religious belief the concept of the kawas is embodied in the healing behavior. The behavior provides an account of an invisible connection between the kawas and the illness.