The ‘Amis people of the coastal areas in Taiwan have maintained a tight relationship with the sea, which helps both humans and the sea to mutually depend on each other. An intertidal zone depicts such a relationship where the ‘Amis people interact with the sea. Between the ebb and flow of the tides, there is the Masia’c in ‘Amis language, which is a certain tidal phase. The Masia’c is the best time for the ‘Amis people to catch fish. The fish risk their lives in the intertidal zone for survival, the ‘Amis people gamble on their survival too and cast their nets with expectations. Therefore, the Masiac is a marine casino interwoven with various forms of life and death. As the villages are located in peripheral regions, the relationship between villages and urban cities is similar to intertidal zones and the sea. Some ‘Amis people who dwell in the sea of urban areas return to the intertidal zone in villages during specific seasons to take up cultural nutrients when the time is right. However, they must leave the village and return to the sea of the urban areas. Will these ‘Amis people who came to the intertidal zone survive, or will they gradually die out?
Key Words ‘Amis, maritime culture, indigeneity, traditional ecological knowledge, fishing