This is an ancient nation. Due to the oppression of the reactionary ruling classes in the 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 periods of Emperor Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, sea bans were implemented, forcing residents of my country's southeastern coastal areas to move inland and prohibiting them from contacting the people on the coastal islands. In this way, the Gaoshan people who are isolated overseas have experienced a different development process from the people of the mainland of the motherland. However, their ethnic origin, culture, production, life and other aspects are still inextricably linked with the mainland. Starting from the pre-Qing Dynasty, they gave up their original "Fan" surname and changed it to the same surname as the mainland immigrants. They have their own language and customs. The place where they live collectively is called a village community. Each village community includes several different families and clans. These village communities each occupy a certain amount of land, which cannot be invaded by outsiders.
The Gaoshan people generally live in wooden houses with thatched roofs, and some roofs are covered with bark, slate or bamboo. The Yamei people who live on Lanyu Island in Taitung still use the method of digging holes in the ground to build houses. The indoors are much lower than the ground. The excavated soil is piled around to become the house walls. Their staple food is taro and sweet potato. Usually, most men only wear a "T-shaped belt" around their waists, and women only wear a square cloth on their chest and waist. With the development of Taiwan's tourism industry, Orchid Island has become a tourist area in Taiwan, and some Yamei people have got rid of the bad habits of ignorance, backwardness and lack of clothing.
Gaoshan people respect the elderly very much and love to drink. Because they often hunt, they especially like their hunting dogs, just like the Han people value their cattle.
The Gaoshan people also have traditional culture and art, and are particularly fond of dancing. The famous pestle music is a kind of folk song and dance extracted from their daily life practice.
The Gaoshan people are divided into many branches according to the distribution of their living areas and the differences in their languages. Except for the Pingpu people who have already settled in the plains and integrated with the Han people, the Gaoshan people are divided into Atayal, Saixia, Bunun, Tsou (Cao), Paiwan, Rukai, Ami, Beinan There are ten major ethnic groups including the Yamei, Thao and other ethnic groups. There are more than 400,000 people in Taiwan, accounting for 1.7% of Taiwan's 23 million population. They belong to a disadvantaged ethnic group, but they represent the most typical expression of Taiwan's local culture. Among these ten major ethnic groups, the first six ethnic groups live mostly in mountainous areas where farming is impossible. The Amis and Puinan people live in the eastern plains, and the Yami live in Orchid Island in the Pacific. Based on this, it seems inappropriate to refer to these ten major ethnic groups as the Gaoshan ethnic group for a long time, but it has been used for a long time and I have become accustomed to it.
The Gaoshan people, like other ethnic minorities, also have their own unique customs.
Festivals and Customs
The Gaoshan people generally have two major festivals every year, one is the Sowing Festival and the other is the Harvest Festival. The scale of the latter is particularly large, almost equal to the Spring Festival of the Han people. At that time, each family will slaughter livestock, make wine, make cakes, etc., offer sacrifices to ancestors, and have fun, which usually lasts about 10 days. They especially worship their ancestors; they believe that the soul is immortal, that all things have souls, and that souls have good and evil qualities. Hang calamus on your chest when you go out, and smear ashes on your forehead when walking at night to prevent evil spirits from getting close to you. If you are sick, use thatch leaves, chicken eggs, and animal teeth to massage the affected area. There is also a widespread belief in omens and divination, and people often decide what to do based on omens. Such as solar eclipse, lunar eclipse, the appearance of comets, roosters crowing at night, dogs howling, snakes coming out of their holes, birds and beasts crossing paths, people being hanged by poisonous thorns, falling, sneezing, etc. are all bad omens. Children's heads are not allowed to be touched casually. Women's spades, kitchen utensils, looms, etc., as well as men's bows, arrows, farm tools, weapons, etc. are not allowed to come into contact with the opposite sex.
Female power is high
The grassroots social organization of the Gaoshan people is the "she", and several societies are gathered into one tribe. In some tribes, women have always had higher power than men, retaining the legacy of a matriarchal society. In tribal affairs, most of their elders, priests, and even leaders are women, and they govern and hold power. Among the Ami and Yami tribes, after marriage, the husband almost gives his wife all the best food and useful things 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 of the Gaoshan compatriots are the most eye-catching. Their clothes are mainly made of linen and cotton, and vary from region to region. But generally men have vests, jackets, shorts, turbans, leg wraps and shawls. Women wear sleeved or sleeveless blouses, aprons, trousers or skirts. Women also like to embroider exquisite patterns on their skirts, sleeves, headscarves and aprons.
Gaoshan men and women like to go barefoot, and both men and women like to wear headdresses, earrings, bracelets, anklets, necklaces, etc. Paiwan men's crowns are even more complex and beautiful than women's crowns. The Ami people like to put thin strips of lining lace on the sleeves, collars and hems of their clothes, and tie half-waist skirts and black cloth around their waists. They also use leopard teeth, hair, shells, copper, silver, antlers, etc. to make headdresses or earrings. Come and dress yourself up. Atayal and Saisiyat men often have ink tattoos on their foreheads and under their lips, which is called a blue mark. The tattoo is in the shape of vertical stripes, about the size of a little finger. Women's facial tattoos (using needles to pierce complex colored patterns on the face) are tattooed from the cheekbones on both sides of the face to the corners of the mouth, forming a "V" shape. On the face of a woman, those with thin and wide lines are considered noble; those with thick and narrow lines are ordinary people.
It is more common among the Gaoshan ethnic group to have black tattoos on their bodies. Among them, the Paiwan and Beinan ethnic groups both have the custom of tattooing. Some men of the Puinan and Ami tribes who live on the east coast have a habit of burning scars. The Paiwan and Ami people like to use bird tail feathers as decoration. Paiwan people often use two or three eagle tail feathers to stick on the top of their leather hats. The Ami people use more than 20 pheasant tail feathers, the white ones, arranged in a fan shape on their heads as headdress. Atayal and Paiwan people like to wear ring-shaped hats, and some wear flower-garland hats, bowl-shaped rattan hats, bearskin hats, etc. The Yami people and some Ami people often wear wooden hats, using wood with a hollow in the middle to make a hat to protect them from the sun and rain.
It has become a custom for Gaoshan compatriots to carry net bags with them when they go out, whether traveling, hunting, fishing, going to the market, etc.; some women of the Paiwan people go out dressed up and often hang them on their shoulders. Wearing a long foot strap that hangs down to just below the knees. Men often carry shawl bags when they go out to hide betel nuts and other utensils. Atayal and Bunun people like to hang bags made of leather.
Nose-pointing ceremony for guests
When receiving visitors from outside the island, the Yamei compatriots on Lanyu Island sometimes use a peculiar etiquette that has been used since ancient times - nose-pointing. present. This kind of nose-pointing ceremony means that after the guests come ashore, the elders of the tribe, in the crowd holding torches, gently rub the tip of the guest's nose with their own nose for a moment in a friendly and gentle manner, and then give a welcome speech to show their appreciation. Friendly feelings toward landing guests.
The beautiful "Pestle Song"
The Gaoshan compatriots are sincere and bold in temperament, and they are generally good at singing and dancing. They have their own beautiful folk songs, ancient ballads and myths and legends. Musical instruments include mouth qin, bow qin, bamboo flute and nose flute. On every festive occasion, compatriots gather together to sing and dance. Among them, the "Bichu Dance" is a folk interlude dance with a unique style. Women surround the stone mortar, holding long pestles to pound rice. The long pestles make a sonorous sound on the stone sun. The women rhythmically accompany the clear and sweet singing, and dance with graceful steps, which is simple and moving.
Betel nut taste
Taiwanese compatriots love to eat betel nut, and Gaoshan compatriots love to eat betel nut even more, especially the older ones. If friends or guests come to your home, it is considered a good way to treat them with betel nuts. They believe that the betel nut tree is an evergreen tree and the betel nut fruit is an evergreen fruit, the embodiment of precious auspiciousness. Dedicate it to the old man to show respect and wish him health and longevity. Give it to a girl to express your admiration and wish her a happy love life and harmony; give it to a young man to express your congratulations and wish him a strong body, hard work and courage. Give it to guests to express welcome and wish you good physical and mental health; all the best. Therefore, the villages of the Gaoshan people are often built in betel nut forests that are evergreen all year round, in order to seek its protection and eliminate disasters and diseases. Every year when the betel nut matures, they climb up the tall betel nut tree to pick the fruit, cut it into small pieces with a waist knife and dry it for later use. Then go to the beach to find oyster shells, burn them over fire and grind them into fine powder. This is the "condiment" when eating betel nut. They also like to wrap oyster ash and betel nuts in the leaves of a plant called aphrodisiac and chew them together, which makes the food more flavorful. 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 nuts, their mouths are all dyed red, especially the young girls. Their lips are like a layer of rouge, making them more graceful and charming.
What is even more interesting is that in the Chutaitung County area of ??Hualien County, betel nut has also become a token of affection for young men and women of the Gaoshan ethnic group. According to the custom of the Ami people, 'every year at the turn of summer and autumn, a lively and grand "basket-carrying party" is held. It is regarded as a festive event for young men and women of the Amis people. They pursue pure love and happiness through mutual interactions at the meeting. Whenever August 15th comes, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, beautifully dressed Ami girls, each carrying exquisite and elegant rattan baskets, come to participate in the "Basket Carrying Party". These little rattan baskets are carefully woven for the girls by their mothers. In order to pray for her daughter's happiness, many beautiful patterns are woven on the small basket. These patterns have many different meanings, some represent good luck, some represent love and happiness, etc. At the beginning of the basket-carrying meeting, the leader of the tribe first summoned the young men and girls to the betel nut forest and blessed them loudly, wishing that each young man could find his sweetheart, obtain love and happiness, and enable the tribe to maintain prosperity. and powerful. After the congratulations, the young men cheered loudly, rushed to the betel nut tree, and started picking betel nuts. The tall betel nut trees are usually more than ten meters high. They have smooth skin and no branches. It is not easy to climb up. At the same time, it is also stipulated that when climbing a tree, the belly cannot touch the trunk, which requires the young man to have a strong physique and strength. This is a method of survival of the fittest in order to maintain the strong physique of the nation. At this time, the girls gathered together, shouting loudly to cheer for their sweethearts, and quietly commenting with their female companions on the young man's vigor and bravery. The young men were all climbing very hard at this time. They all wanted to show their abilities in front of many girls in order to win their favor. After climbing to the top of the tree, he quickly picked off the betel nuts, put them into a bag embroidered with beautiful patterns on his body, quickly slid down and ran towards the girls. When the girls saw the young man running towards him, they laughed and ran away. However, the young man has already secretly chosen the girl he likes, so he chases after her.
In this way, the girl ran in front, her giggles as sweet as silver bells, and the young man chased behind, panting and extremely happy. When the young man catches up with the girl, he puts the betel nut into the girl's basket. At this time, the girl slows down and looks at the pursuer carefully with a smile. If she finds that the young man is not the one she likes, she will smile apologetically and show off. He turned around, shrugged, shook the betel nut out of the basket, jumped away with a smile. If it is the person you like, you will stop and hold hands, chat in a low voice, and tell each other your love. If both parties are in love, the girl will take out her carefully embroidered purse and give it to the young man to express her sincere affection. Then they will hold hands and walk into the betel nut forest to talk to each other and express their pursuit of pure love. and yearning for a happy life. Such activities often last all night until dawn.
"Cage" Tryst
In some scattered villages and lush bamboo forests in Taiwan's mountainous areas, you can often see unique independent cabins built in high mountains. It is a "cage" where young men and women of the ethnic group fall in love and have trysts at night. When a girl reaches the age of fifteen or sixteen and becomes a slim, charming girl, her parents will carefully build a small house - a "cage" for her to live alone. This means that the girl has grown up. You can participate in various adult activities and make boyfriends. Therefore, this "cage" became a place where young men and women could fall in love and exchange feelings with each other. Whenever night covers the earth, the moon rises from the treetops, and the village is immersed in tranquility, the hearts of young girls and boys are undulating like the Sun Moon Lake in the storm, eagerly looking forward to the exciting and exciting time. Unforgettable moments are coming.
The girl who lived in the "cage" lit up the pine lanterns early, burned the fire in the fire pit, and kept silent, waiting for the arrival of her sweetheart. Mada (a young man) from the Gaoshan tribe put on clean and tidy clothes, dressed like a groom, and quietly walked towards the "cage" under the moonlight. According to traditional rules, Mada cannot knock on the door when meeting a girl in the "cage". Doing so is considered impolite and incompetent, and the girl will look down upon her and will never open the door. It is a lifelong regret to see the girl you love so close but never get to meet her. But this was not a problem for the clever Mada. He took out the small and exquisite musical instrument from his arms and put it in his mouth. He played it gently with his hand, and bursts of melodious and melodious musical sounds floated along with the breeze. Entered the "cage". The sound of the piano tells the girl that Mada has arrived. Mada surrounded the "cage" and played one song after another on the ziqin. However, the door of the "cage" was often still closed. On the one hand, it was because of the girl's shyness, and on the other hand, it was because the girl was deliberately testing her. Mada. Of course Mada can withstand this test, and he will play the muqin over and over again without any discouragement. The sweet sound of the piano touched the girl's heartstrings one after another. The girl finally opened the door and welcomed Mada into the house with a cheerful face.
The fire in the "cage" was blazing, and the faces of the girl and Mada were red. They sat around the stove, grilling peanuts and taro, talking softly, and expressing their true love to each other. pursuit. As the relationship deepens day by day, the passion in his heart becomes stronger and stronger like a fire. Mada can't help but let go of her singing voice and express her love for the girl in a deep and powerful voice. The girl looks at Mada with her watery eyes and expresses her affectionately. Sing to each other. You sing and I sing on both sides, and the singing connects the two hearts tightly.
This kind of tryst usually lasts until the rooster crows for the first time before they break up. At this time, Mada often took out betel nuts from his caring head and gave them to the girl, and the girl gave Mada her carefully embroidered cigarette purse, and both of them reluctantly waved goodbye. After a period of "cage" trysts, when the man and woman are in love, they can tell their parents and finalize the marriage.