西湖溪下游地域社會之形成與變遷

Abstract

本文以店仔街周邊多間大型公廟緊密聚集且祭祀圈重疊的現象為出發點，以信仰象徵、權力互動的進路，去觀察地方社會各文化要素間的關係。透過貫時性的歷史地理文獻探討及當代信仰組織、儀式內涵的田野觀察，由底層漸次建構出地域社會中立體的信仰象徵階序，並以此來說明西湖鄉外四庄建構為一地域社會的歷程及動態演變；另一方面，也透過原本聯合設隘而區域化的西湖鄉整體，到之後演變為以兩個媽祖為對話平台的「外四庄」與「內三庄」，以其分開下港進香機制，釐清西湖溪下游兩大地域社會的互動關係及交界社群所扮演的協調關係。 研究成果歸結：店仔街因地形、交通等因素形成了高級中地的中心性位置；外四庄地域社會內部緊密聚集的公廟，實際上代表各式力量的競爭，過程中利用扮演不同社會機能來取得地方的認同；店仔街多元宗族組成的地緣組織形成較高的信仰階序，涵括了四湖庄強勢劉姓宗族之家廟；外四庄聯庄之地方自性與宗族精神的對話，最後以「信仰階序的並存」維持了地方的平衡；外四庄與內三庄共同設隘整合的歷史記憶，使得兩區交界帶上的社群保持流動的工具式認同，並以之建構出兩大地域社會同一平面的信仰象徵，來分配西湖溪上下游的水資源。權力的動態競爭與各種社會文化要素的互動與發展，形塑出外四庄層層相互涵蓋的立體象徵信仰體系，並以之展現其地方自性與文化的再生性。

This research is based on the phenomenon of the concentrated temples and the overlapped religious sphere around the Dianzai Street in Xihu County, Miaoli. By discussing the symbols of religion and the interactions of powers, the study observes the cultural aspects and connections of the local society. Constructed from bottom to top, the symbolic stratum of the local religion is used to explain the progress and development of the four outer villages in Xihu County. On the other hand, the once regionalized Xihu County which resulted from the union of the frontier guard posts evolved into “Four Outer Villages” and “Three Inner Villages”, which have two separate systems of Mazu pilgrimages that clarify the relation between the two local societies of the Xihu River Basin. This study discovers that based on the Central Place Theory, Dianzai Street is the central location due to the geological and transporting factors. The concentrated temples of the Four Outer Villages represent the struggles of powers. The diversity of the local lineages forms a superior religious stratum including the Liu family’s ancestral shrine. The Four Outer Villages and the local lineages maintain a balance based on the religious stratum. The Four Outer Villages and the Three Inner Villages share the historic memory of the union of the frontier guard posts and therefore construct two religious symbol systems to distribute water resource. The competition for power and the interaction of different cultural factors form the overlapped religious symbol systems and develop its locality and unique culture of local society.