The Communal Deer Hunt

This dynamic scene captures a vital aspect of the traditional lifestyle of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan during the 18th century. While the previous page focused on the quiet labor of the harvest, here the artist—likely Sun Lu—portrays the energy and coordination required for a successful communal hunta group effort where the whole community or a large group of men participated to secure meat and hides.

The landscape is a sprawling, grassy field, rendered with soft green washes that suggest the fertile coastal plains or inland basins of the island. The focus of the hunt is the Formosan Sika deerCervus nippon taouanus, a species prized for its meat and its dappled hide, which was a major commodity in the regional trade networks of the era.

In the center-left, a small herd of spotted deer is shown in full flight, their bodies tensed in a desperate gallop. The artist skillfully illustrates the different stages of the pursuit:

• The Chase: At the right, groups of hunters rush into the scene. They are armed with traditional weapons, including long spears and bows, and are dressed in light loincloths suitable for high-speed movement through the brush.
• The Capture: In the upper right corner, the "hunting dogs"—essential companions in indigenous life—have successfully intercepted and brought down a deer, demonstrating the close partnership between the hunters and their animals.

The composition emphasizes movement and the vastness of the hunting grounds. By placing the hunters on the periphery and the fleeing prey in the center, the artist conveys the scale of the landscape and the strategic nature of the hunt, where men and dogs worked together to surround the herd. This record serves as a significant ethnographic document, preserved in the style of the Sketches of Aboriginal LifeFanshe Caifeng Tu, capturing a moment of intense action in the seasonal cycle of the island's inhabitants.