The Footprints Of The Elves In The Mountains Of Taiwan

Taiwan island lies near the off coast of Fujian Province,there are various ethnic groups living there,they all have different languages,customs,buildings,techniques and dresses,and they belong to the Austronesian language family.Taiwan island locates at the northernmost district of Anstronesian,it has the most complex groups of tribes and most divergent languages.As to the native place of Austronesian,the truth is still unknown.Subsequently we have no means to know where the Taiwan's aborigines came from,how did they move into Taiwan,or Taiwan was originally the starting place of Austronesian.However,these issues are lack of actual fact background and theoretical principles.Taiwan's aborigines don't have their own written languages,they have lived in mountains and woods for thousands of years.Although Taiwan was dominated by Spanish and Holland before,but the aborigines resisted stoutly and defended for their territory.Taiwan's endless forests and mineral resources were owed to their protection.Until 1874,the Peony Society Event occurred in southern Paiwan tribe,afterwards Qing dynasty carried out the management policy of original inhabitants,carving out three ways from east to west in the northern,middle and southern Taiwan,as well as encouraging the Han people moving to the reclamation area.This policy had opened the forbidden area of original tribes since the ancient times.Then in 1895,Japan ruled Taiwan with coercion policy,it forced aborigines moving to village,changing their fist names and speaking Japanese.The aristocracy society of Paiwan and Rukai tribe faced a drastic chage in society organization and cultural policy.Along with the taking over of Taiwan by National Government in 1945,cultivators have their own fields,this policy leaving these two tribes of class society withered more and more.Paiwan and Rukai tribes are neighbors,both are distributed along two flanks of the central Taiwan mountains.They were aristocracy society from ancient times,both had noble,hierarchy and civilian.The most powerful man among the tribal leaders was the big leader.All the noble leaders had their own exclusive images,patterns,buildings and ornaments of rivers,mountains,lands and hunting grouds,correspondingly they also had duties and obligations to protect clansmen,bring up orphans and widows,and solve the difficulties.Their social order was a interdependent life community putting labor division into practice.Hundred-pace Snake,beads of coloured glaze and Lilong Rerlerdan are the footing stone helped transforming substance into spiritualization,they are the key to the ancestor origin and aristocratic family.All the tribes have their own myths and legends to solidify the rights and positions of aristocracy.Paiwan and Rukai tribes are also living in these myths and legends,within which they are pregnant with their unique sacrifices,life ceremonies and taboos.Lily is the family flower of Rukai tribe,it's the symbol of elegance and sanctity,people have to observe the regulation to wear it.Woman who wears a lily represented purity,man who wears a lily represented warrior and hunting hero.The Lily Culture derives from the antient Kucapugane tribe of Wutai township,later it has spreaded around,nowadays Paiwan Tribe also wear lilies.Eagle feather could only be weard by leaders,noble men or hunting heros and their offsprings,it represents force and brace.Ancient beadsAncient coloured glaze beads and ancient Lilong Rerlerdan are the mystical thing given by the ancient gods to the ancestors,which could only owned by nobles in early times.Lilong Rerlerdan represents propagate,it was the indispensable thing in the wedding ceremony along with coloured glaze beads.Today in Sandimen township,there are new coloured glaze beads been made already,and Zhengxing village has becom the hometown of pottery pot.These two treasures have become the contemporary local cultural products.Taiwan's aborigines also win through their low years through 1950 to 1980.It's a waking state of the whole ethnic groups,which should attribute the sucess to the Rectification of Names Movement in 1994.This movement has helped to bring about the government to confer the birthrights,name resuming and parent language education on the aborigines,which are the dignity and everlasting inheritage of a nation.