Presentation Information
[U14-P04]Regional Variations in the Gender-Based Classification of Slate Materials in Indigenous Slate Houses of Taiwan: Implications for Traditional Knowledge and Geoscience Education
*Chiouting Lin1,2, Shengfa Hsu3 (1.Department of Earth Science, National Cheng Kung University, 2.Halcyon Cultural Heritage Science Consultancy Firm, 3.Taipei National University of the Arts)
Keywords:
Ethnogeology,Indigenous knowledge,Slate houses,Gender-based classification,Geoscience education,Taiwan Indigenous architecture
Slate houses are an important traditional architectural form of the Rukai and Paiwan peoples in Taiwan. The community’s practice of using materials from the surrounding natural environment reflects their understanding of geological conditions. In recent years, with the promotion of Indigenous culture and the development of community-based tourism, slate houses have become an important topic in public geoscience education. Describing the slate materials used in these houses through the “male/female” gender classification has also increasingly appeared in exhibitions and educational programs.
This study analyzes the relationship between architectural spaces and stone types and incorporates oral historical accounts from community elders. The results reveal significant regional differences in the understanding of “stone gender” and in the lithological characteristics associated with it. The findings suggest that this gender classification may have developed within specific modern communities rather than being grounded in geological science or inherited traditional knowledge. However, in response to exhibition and educational needs, the concept has gradually been standardized into a single explanatory model.
From the perspectives of geoscience and cultural heritage education, this study argues that educational practice should emphasize geological variability and diverse knowledge systems in order to foster a more integrated and in-depth understanding of geological environments and socio-cultural contexts.
This study analyzes the relationship between architectural spaces and stone types and incorporates oral historical accounts from community elders. The results reveal significant regional differences in the understanding of “stone gender” and in the lithological characteristics associated with it. The findings suggest that this gender classification may have developed within specific modern communities rather than being grounded in geological science or inherited traditional knowledge. However, in response to exhibition and educational needs, the concept has gradually been standardized into a single explanatory model.
From the perspectives of geoscience and cultural heritage education, this study argues that educational practice should emphasize geological variability and diverse knowledge systems in order to foster a more integrated and in-depth understanding of geological environments and socio-cultural contexts.