Is having a universal system of time a necessity or a form of imperialism?

          Having a universal way to tell time can seem like a necessity when economics and global travel of people and information are considered. However, how can one form of time telling be regarded as superior to another?  It seems that colonization imposed a system on time that was considered superior and essential for organizing a society and economy Basically, it was essential to control and organize a population. This is evident in the case of the Amis, who had a traditional system of time telling using natural indicators before colonization and contact with people outside their community. Their traditional system will be discussed and how this transformed after exposure to other cultures. 

          The Amis traditional language does not have a word that translates to an equivalent to “time” (Huang 2004: 322).  The Amis have four traditional ways of time keeping: daytime, nighttime, changes of the moon and the tide. The daytime is made in accordance with the movements of the sun and also form the length of shadows (Huang 2004: 323). If the sun cannot be seen, an Amis can tell the time by when they feel hungry throughout the day (Huang 2004: 323). The nighttime is referred to the period between dusk and dawn and can be told by the movement of the stars (Huang 2004: 323). The moon cycle dictates the agricultural, fishing, hunting and ritual cycle (Huang 2004: 324). The Iwan village where the Amis live faces the Pacific Ocean, so the tide is an integral way to tell time for the Amis (Huang 2004: 325). Villagers are aware of the movements of the sea and are aware the tides association with the phases of the moon (Huang 2004: 325). When the sun cannot be seen to tell time in the day, the tide can aid in its absence (Huang 2004: 325). Some of these traditional ways to tell time are still in use today and are regarded as part of traditional Amis culture; however, contact with outside cultures introduced new ways to tell time, which were often imposed on the Amis (Huang 2004: 326). 

There are four others times in addition to the traditional times: time of the Japanese, Taiwanese, mainlanders and whites. The Japanese introduced an education system that included teaching how to tell time on clocks and watches and practice being punctual (Huang 2004: 326). The system that the Japanese taught the Amis is the Gregorian calendar (Huang 2004: 328), used all over the world today. This Japanese time was experienced through school, local government and forced labour (Huang 2004: 326). Although the time of the Japanese has become an essential part of Amis life, it is not forgotten how this “modern” system was forced onto the Amis (Huang 2004: 327). The time of the mainlanders are considered to be the main rulers of Taiwan and refers mainly to political activities of the government (Huang 2004: 329). The time of the Taiwanese represents when an Amis person needed to ask a Taiwanese person for a date to hold a ritual (Huang 2004: 328). The time of the whites has to do with Amis contact with Christian missionaries, mostly to do with Catholic and Presbyterian rituals (Huang 2004: 329). The introduction of these “other” times to the Amis resulted from external contact, seemingly often forced. The Amis really did not have a choice but to adapt to these external forces. In an increasingly globalized world, it does seem like everyone needs to be on the same page and this page seems to be determined by dominant economic states. However, it does seems important and noteworthy that the Amis still recognize and use some of the traditional time measures. This is extremely important for cultural maintenance as this system is uniquely Amis. 

Huang, S. ""Times" and Images of Others in an Amis Village, Taiwan" Time and Society 2004 13 (2/3): 321-337.