本文以三首流傳於臺東阿美族馬蘭地區的現代阿美歌謠爲例進行研究，從這三首歌曲的歌詞內容與創作動機切入，探討歌曲如何呈現馬蘭人自身所認識的族群歷史、部落傳統以及當代生活。第一首是〈苦力歌〉，確實的創作者與時間已不可考，內容描述日治時期阿美族人從事苦力勞役的所見所感。今天的馬蘭阿美人對於日治時期的苦力勞役普遍存有悲苦的負面記憶，也藉着〈苦力歌〉來抒發及感受這種悲情，然而〈苦力歌〉本身其實帶有更多元的情緒表現。第二首〈Mahengheng之歌〉，歌詞由一位名叫郭光也的馬蘭名人所創作，在他留下的手稿中記錄了創作過程，以及郭光也透過歌頌阿美大頭目Mahengheng的事蹟來發揚民族精神的企圖，從歌曲內容也可看到當代馬蘭阿美人對於族群起源與部落建立的觀點。第三首歌是〈新馬蘭之歌〉，這首歌曲反應了馬蘭阿美人在經歷部落領域擴張、漢人移入、子部落成立的變遷後，對於社群建構以及生活地理環境的新認識，至於眾說紛云的創作者身分，則顯示出原住民歌謠創作中集體參與的一貫特色。從本研究可發現，一向被視爲界定阿美現代歌謠特徵的固定實詞，由於其得以反覆傳唱的特色，使得歌謠得以進一步地傳承族群的經驗與記憶。
This article studies three modern Amis ballads of the Falangaw area in Taidong. By exploring the content of lyrics and the creation process, this article aims to explicate how the ballads represent local history, tradition, and whose life of the Falangaw Amis. The first ballad is the "Song of Labor," which authorship and date are both uncertain. This piece describes the situations and feelings of the Falangaw Amis while they were forced into hard labors during the Japanese colonial period. Towards this period, the present-day Falangaw Amis generally retain a negative, sorrowful memory. However, the lyric of "Song of Labor" implies more than just sorrow. The lyric of the second ballad "Song of Mahengheng" was written by a local intellectual, Kuo Guangye. In his script he recorded the process of the composition and his ambition to construct the ethnic identity through eulogizing the much-respected chieftain Mahengheng. The content of the lyric also reveals the contemporary perspective of the Falangaw Amis recount their ethnic origin and the history of the villages. The third piece is the "Song of New Falangaw." In this ballad the Amis reflected their geographic environment and community construction after territory expansion, immigration of Han people, and the establishment of the satellite villages. The widely disputed claims of its authorship serve to reinforce the consistent feature of collective authorship in aboriginal songs. This research concludes with a discussion regarding songs. The fixed lyrics are usually considered a primary characteristic of the modern Amis songs. By repeated performance of the fixed lyrics, the modern Amis songs transmit experiences and memories of a culture through its local creativity.
