臺灣小馬遺址C5P1個體是尼格利陀人或傳說小黑人之異議

Reconsidering whether the Taiwan Xiaoma Site C5P1 Individual is a so-called Negrito or the Legendary“Little Black People”

日治時期開始，學者對於臺灣各原住民族傳說中的小黑人是否真實存在，即議論紛紛。2022年洪曉純等學者經由研究小馬遺址C5P1人骨，斷言傳說小黑人確實存在。洪氏等從民族誌、顱骨測量、身高推估以及碳14放射性定年，認為小馬人骨是屬於距今6000年前居住在海退期廣大巽他大陸上的尼格利陀人族群，早於臺灣新石器時代南島語族先祖的人種，並認為藉此證實了臺灣原住民各族傳說之中的小黑人確實存在。這個結果發表於國際期刊，受到國內外學界與大眾的高度關注。本文對此論述提出異議，冀望透過本文的再推理與驗證，說明該研究推論尼格利陀人以及傳說小黑人存在於古代臺灣的關鍵誤謬。
本文藉由方法上的「邏輯推理」與研究對象本身的「證據論證」來重新檢視洪2022文之研究可信度。尼格利陀人（Negrito）一詞有其特殊的歷史與地理脈絡，而臺灣諸原住民中的小黑人傳說，則缺乏直接的民族學、語言學或考古學證據；因此洪氏等學者透過單一個體且保存狀況不佳的人骨證據，推論實際存在的尼格利陀人，再推論至屬於傳說的小黑人，欠缺嚴謹的邏輯推理過程。證據方面，本文也重新檢視考古出土脈絡與年代、身高推估、病理特徵、儀式性拔齒、古環境等證據，從「證據論證」的角度提出質疑與進一步反思。期望能對看似「確證」且廣受關注的研究結果提出反駁與探討。

Since the Japanese colonial period, scholars have debated whether the legendary“little black men”spoken of by Taiwan’s indigenous peoples actually existed. In 2022, Hsiao-chun Hung and others concluded that the legendary“little black men”did exist based on their study of the C5P1 skeleton from the Taiwan Xiaoma site. Using ethnographic data, cranial measurements, stature estimation, and carbon-14 dating, Hung and others argue that the C5P1 skeleton belonged to the Negrito people who lived on the vast Sunda continent approximately 6,000 years ago, predating the Austronesian peoples during Taiwan’s Neolithic Age. They believe this evidence confirms the legend among Taiwan’s indigenous people concerning the“little black people.”. This result has been published in both local and international journals, garnering significant attention from domestic and international academic circles and the public. This article challenges that conclusion, reevaluating the evidence to identify flaws in the argument the existence ofand the Negritos or the legendary“little black men in Taiwan”have been proven.
This article challenges Hung’s inference based on both methodological“logical reasoning”and evidence-based argumentation derived from the research subject itself. First, it is important to recognize that the term“Negrito”pertains to a specific historical and geographical context, while the legend of the“little black people”among various Indigenous tribes in Taiwan lack direct ethnological, linguistic, or archaeological support. Hung’s inference, which relies on a singular poorly preserved skeleton, lacks a solid logical basis for connecting it to the historical so-called Negritos, and subsequently to the legendary“small black people.”From an evidence-based perspective, this article re-examines the burial context, stature estimation, pathological characteristics, skull measurements, ritual tooth ablation, and environmental conditions. The objective of this article is to critically assess and challenge the conclusions of these widely publicized research results.