Traditional customs of the Gaoshan ethnic group in Taiwan

Taiwan is one of the provinces where many ethnic groups gather in our country. Almost all ethnic groups in my country can be traced in Taiwan. However, the earliest songs living in Taiwan were known as the Gaoshan people, which were known as the "Eastern People" and "Yizhou People" in history. They were later renamed "mountain aborigines","Taiwanese Aboriginal People","Taiwanese Aboriginal People","Taiwanese Aboriginal People", and "Taiwanese Aboriginal People".

This is an ancient nation. Due to the oppression of the reactionary ruling classes in past dynasties, the development of Gaoshan society has been relatively slow, and some are still in a primitive state and still live in poverty. According to records, during the Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, sea bans were imposed, forcing residents in the southeastern coastal areas of my country to move inland and preventing them from communicating with the people of the coastal islands. In this way, the Gaoshan people living alone overseas have experienced a different development process from the people of the mainland motherland. However, their ethnic origin, culture, production, life and other aspects are still inextricably connected with the mainland. Since the former Qing Dynasty, they have given up their original "Fan" surname and changed it to the same surname as the mainland immigrants. They have their own language and customs, and the places where they live collectively are called village communities. Each village community includes a number of different families and clans. These villages and communities each occupy a certain amount of land, which cannot be invaded by outsiders.

Gaoshan people generally live in wooden houses with thatched roofs, and some roofs are covered with tree bark, stone or bamboo. The Yamei people living on Orchid Island in Taitung still use the method of digging burrows to build houses. The interiors are much lower than the ground, and the excavated earth piles are placed around them to form house walls. They eat taro and sweet potatoes as their staple food. In ordinary times, most men only wear a "T-belt" around their waists, and women only tie a square cloth around their chests and waists. With the development of Taiwan's tourism industry, Orchid Island has become a tourist area in Taiwan, and some Yami people have got rid of their bad habits of ignorance, backwardness and lack of clothing.

Gaoshan people respect the elderly very much and love to drink. Because they often engage in hunting activities, they especially like their own hunting dogs, just as the Han people value their own cattle.

The Gaoshan people also have traditional culture and art and especially like dancing. The famous pestle music is a folk song and dance that they extracted from their life practice.

The Gaoshan people are divided into many branches according to their geographical distribution and different languages. In addition to the Pingpu people who have long settled in the plains and integrated with the Han people, the Gaoshan people are divided into ten major ethnic groups: the Atayal, Saixia, Bunun, Zou (Cao), Paiwan, Rukai, Ami, Puyuma, Yamei, and Shao. There are more than 400,000 people in total, accounting for 1.7% of Taiwan's 23 million population. They belong to a disadvantaged group, but they represent the most typical expression of Taiwan's local culture. Among the ten major ethnic groups, the top six live mostly in mountainous areas where farming cannot be cultivated. The Ami and Puyuma live on the eastern plains, and the Yami live on Orchid Island in the Pacific. Based on this, it seems inappropriate to collectively refer to these ten ethnic groups as the Gaoshan ethnic groups for a long time, but it has been used for a long time and has become accustomed to it.

Like other ethnic minorities, the Gaoshan people also have their own unique customs.

网站图片位

Festivals and customs Gaoshan people generally have two main festivals every year, one is the sowing festival and the other is the harvest festival. The latter is particularly large in scale, almost equal to the Spring Festival of the Han nationality. At that time, each family will slaughter livestock, brew wine, make cakes, etc., sacrifice to the ancestral gods, and have banquets and entertainment, which generally last for about 10 days. They especially worship their ancestors; they believe in the immortality of the soul, and believe that everything has a soul, and that the soul has good and evil. Hang calamus on your chest when going out, and apply furnace dust on your forehead when traveling at night to prevent evil spirits from getting close. If you are sick, use grass leaves, chicken eggs, and animal teeth to stroke the affected area. There is also widespread superstition about signs and divination, and often determines the course of things based on signs. Such as solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, the appearance of comets, the chirping of chickens at night, the howling of dogs, the emergence of snakes from their holes, birds and small animals crossing the road, people being hung by poisonous stings, falls, sneezes, etc. are all bad signs. Children's heads are not allowed to be touched casually. Small shovels, kitchen utensils, looms, etc. dedicated to women and men's bows, farm implements, weapons, etc. are not allowed to come into contact with the opposite sex.

The grassroots social organization of the Gaoshan ethnic group with women's power is a "community", and several communities are grouped into one tribe. In some tribes, women have always had higher power than men, retaining the legacy of matriarchal society. In tribal public affairs, most of their elders, priests, and even leaders are held by women and are in power. Among the Ami and Yamei ethnic groups, after marriage, the husband gives his wife almost the best food and uses to enjoy. Women not only enjoy the treatment of masters at home, but also have a higher social status than men.

Exquisite costumes The clothes and costumes of Gaoshan compatriots are the most eye-catching. Their clothes are mainly made of linen and cotton, but vary from region to region. But most men have vests, short jackets, shorts, headscarves, leg wraps and shawls. Women wear sleeves or sleeveless trunks, aprons, trousers or skirts. Women also like to embroider exquisite patterns on their skirts, sleeves, headscarves, and aprons.

Gaoshan men and women like to be barefoot, and both men and women like to wear headdress, earrings, bracelets, anklets, necklaces, etc. The crown of Paiwan men is even more complex and beautiful than the crown of women. Amis people like to decorate themselves with thin strips of color-matching lace on the sleeves, collars, and hem of their clothes, and tie half-waist skirts or black cloth at the waist, or make headdresses or earrings with leopard teeth, hair, shells, copper, silver, antlers, etc. to dress themselves. Atayal and Saixia men often apply tattooed ink to their foreheads and under their lips to become blue marks. The thorn ink is in a longitudinal stripe shape, about the size of a little finger. Women's traces (using needles to pierce complex colored patterns on the face) are pierced from the cheekbones on both sides of the face to the corners of the mouth, forming a "V" shape. A woman's trace, with thin and wide lines, is noble; a woman's trace, with thick and narrow lines, is an ordinary citizen.

People with black tattoos on their bodies are relatively common among the Gaoshan people. Among them, both the Paiwan people and the Puyuma people have the custom of tattooing. Among the Puyuma and Amis people living on the coast of the East China Sea, some men still have the habit of burning scars. Paiwan and Amis people like to use bird tail feathers as decoration. The Paiwan people often use two or three eagle tail feathers to insert them on the top of their leather hats. The Amis people use the tail feathers of pheasants. If they are white, there are more than 20 feathers, which are arranged in a fan shape on their heads as headdresses. The Atayal and Paiwan people like to wear ring hats, and some wear garland hats, bowl-shaped rattan hats, bearskin flaps, etc. The Yami and part of the Ami people often wear wooden hats, using wood and hollowing out the middle to make bamboo hats, which can be used to shade the sun and rain.

When going out, whether traveling, hunting, fishing, or going to markets, it has become a custom for our Gaoshan compatriots to almost carry net bags with them; some women from the Paiwan people go out dressed up and often wear a long strap on their shoulders. It hangs down to the knees. Men often have shawl cloth bags when they go out to hide betel nuts and other utensils. The Atayal and Bunun people love to hang bags made of leather.

Hospitality point Nose Ceremony The Yamei compatriots on Orchid Island sometimes use a unique etiquette that has been followed since ancient times-Nose Ceremony when receiving visitors from outside the island. This kind of nose-touching ceremony is when the guests come ashore, the tribal elders gently rub the tip of the guests 'nose with their noses for a moment in a cordial and gentle manner among the crowd holding torches, and then deliver a welcome speech to show their friendly feelings towards the landing guests.

The "Pushi Song" compatriots of the Gaoshan ethnic group with beautiful

are sincere and unrestrained, and are generally good at singing and dancing. They have their own beautiful folk songs, ancient ballads and myths and legends. Musical instruments include mouth piano, bow piano, bamboo flute and nose flute. Every festive festival, compatriots gather together to sing and dance. Among them, the "Pen Pestle Dance" is a folk dance with a unique style. Women surrounded the stone mortar, holding long pestle pestle rice. The long pestle made a sonorous sound on the stone sun. The women rhythmically accompanied the crisp and pleasant singing and walked with beautiful steps, making it simple and moving.

Betel nut tastes Taiwanese compatriots love to eat betel nut, and Gaoshan compatriots prefer to eat betel nut more, especially the elderly. If there are friends or guests at home, inviting betel nuts is regarded as a good way to treat guests. They believe that betel nut trees are evergreen trees, and betel nut nuts are evergreen fruits and are the embodiment of precious and auspicious. Dedicated it to the old man to show respect and wish him health and a long life. Give it to the girl to express her admiration and wish her a happy love life, happiness and harmony; give it to the young man to express congratulations and wish him a strong physique, diligence and courage. Give it to the guests to express welcome and wish you physical and mental health; everything goes well. Therefore, the villages of the Gaoshan people are often built in the betel nut forest that is evergreen all year round, in order to seek its protection and eliminate disasters and diseases. Every year after the betel nut is ripe, they climb the tall betel nut tree to pick the fruit, and use a waist knife to cut it into small pieces to dry for later use. Then I went to the beach to find oyster shells, calcined them with fire, and ground them into fine powder. This is the "seasoning" when eating betel nut. They also like to use a leaf called a withered plant to wrap oyster ash and betel nut to chew it together, which makes it more interesting. It is said that in addition to its insect repellent effect, betel nut also has the effect of protecting teeth. Because they often eat betel nut, their mouths are dyed red, especially young girls, whose lips seem to be coated with a layer of rouge, making them more graceful and charming.

What is even more interesting about the

is that in the Chutaidong County area of Hualien County, betel nut has also become a communication between young men and women of the Gaoshan ethnic group. According to Ami custom,'every year at the turn of summer and autumn, a lively and grand "basket carrying party" is held. It is regarded as a festival for Ami young men and women. They pursued pure love and happiness through mutual interaction at the meeting. Whenever August 15th comes and the moon is at its fullest and brightest, the beautifully dressed Ami girls come to participate in the "basket carrying party" with exquisite and elegant small rattan baskets on their backs. These small rattan baskets were carefully woven for the girls by their mothers. In order to pray for her daughter to achieve happiness, many beautiful patterns were woven on the small basket. These patterns have many different meanings, some express good luck, some express love and happiness.

When the

meeting began, the tribe's leader first gathered the young men and girls into the betel nut forest and loudly blessed them, wishing that every young person could find their sweetheart and gain love and happiness, so that the tribe could remain prosperous and strong. After the congratulatory speech, the young men cheered loudly and rushed to the betel nut tree to start picking betel nut trees. Tall betel trees are generally more than ten meters high, have smooth skins and no branches, so it is not easy to climb up. At the same time, it is also stipulated that when climbing trees, your belly should not touch the tree trunk, which requires a strong physique and strength. This is a method of survival of the fittest in order to maintain the strong constitution of the nation. At this time, the girls gathered together, shouting loudly to cheer for their sweetheart, while quietly commenting on the young man's agility and bravery with their female companions. The young men are all climbing very hard at this time. They all want to show their skills in front of many girls to win their favor. After climbing to the top of the tree, he quickly picked off the betel nut, put it into a hanging bag embroidered with beautiful patterns, and quickly slid down and ran towards the girls. When the girls saw the young man running over, they laughed and ran away. However, the young man had already secretly selected the girl he liked, so he chased after the person he liked. In this way, the girl ran in front, her giggle was as pleasant as a silver bell, and the young man chased after her, panting and extremely happy.

When the young man caught up with the girl, he put the betel nut into the girl's basket. At this time, the girl slowed down and looked at the pursuer carefully with a smile. If she found that it was not the young man she had liked, she would smile apologetically, swing her body, shrug her shoulders, shake out the betel nut in the basket, and jump away with a smile. If they are the person they love, they will stop, hold hands, talk in low voices, and confide their admiration to each other. If the two parties are in tune, the girl will take out her carefully embroidered purse and give it to the young man to express her sincere affection. Then, holding hands, they walk into the betel nut forest, confide in each other, and express their love for innocence. The pursuit of love and yearning for a happy life. Such activities often last all night until dawn.

"Cage" trysts In some scattered villages and lush bamboo forests in Taiwan's mountainous areas, you can often see independent huts built with unique styles. This is the "cage" for young men and women of the Gaoshan ethnic group to talk about love and conduct trysts at night. When the girl reaches the age of fifteen or sixteen and becomes a slender, charming and moving girl, her parents will carefully build a small house for her-a "cage" so that she can live alone. This means that the girl has grown up. You can participate in various adult activities and make boyfriends. As a result, this "cage" became a place where young men and women talked together and exchanged feelings with each other. Whenever the night covers the earth, the moon rises from the treetops, and the village is immersed in tranquility, the young girls and young men's hearts rise and fall like the Sun Moon Lake in the storm, eagerly looking forward to the exciting and unforgettable moment.

The girl living in the "cage" lit the pine lantern early and lit the fire in the fire pond vigorously. She held her voice and waited for the arrival of her sweetheart. Mada (young man) of the Gaoshan tribe changed into clean and tidy clothes, dressed like a groom, and quietly walked towards the "cage" while taking advantage of the moonlight. According to traditional rules, Mada who meets a girl in a "cage" is not allowed to knock on the door. That is considered impolite and incompetent. The girl will look down on her and never open the door. It is a lifelong regret to see my beloved girl so close at hand, but I have no chance to meet her. But this was not difficult for the witty and intelligent Mada. He took out a small and exquisite zither from his arms and held it in his mouth, and gently fiddled it with his hand. The melodious sound of the piano floated into the "cage" with the breeze. This piano is telling the girl that Mada has arrived. Ma Da surrounded the "cage" and played one song after another. However, the door of the "cage" was often closed. On the one hand, it was because of the girl's shyness, and on the other hand, it was also because the girl was deliberately testing Ma Da. Mada certainly can withstand this test. He will muster up his energy and play the piano over and over again without being discouraged. The pleasant piano music touched the girl's heartstrings one after another. The girl finally opened the door and welcomed Mada into the house with a bright smile on her face.

The fire pond in the "cage" was brightly lit, reflecting the faces of the girl and Mada. They sat around the stove, barbecuing peanuts and taro and eating them, while talking softly, expressing each other's pursuit of sincere love. As the feelings deepen day by day and the passion in her heart burns like a fire, Mada will not help but let go of singing and confide her love for the girl with a low and powerful singing voice; the girl looks at Mada with her watery eyes and sings affectionately. The two sides sang harmony, and the singing tightly connected the two hearts.

Such trysts usually last until the cock crows for the first time before they break up. At this time, Ma Da often took out betel nut from her considerate head and gave it to the girl. The girl gave Ma Da her carefully embroidered cigarette pouch, and both of them reluctantly waved goodbye. After a period of "cage" trysts, the man and the woman hit it off, and they can tell the parents of both parties to decide on the marriage.