The Siraya Kabuasua tribe strives to pass on its culture, emphasizing that we truly exist
(A small reminder for residents: friends who want to attend the Siraya Kabuasua Night Ritual, please remember to read this pre-event notice first so you don't accidentally cause offense)
The Kabuasua tribe, which began offering "Zelan rice" last year, is a Siraya tribe. Although the Council of Indigenous Peoples still uses an administrative order from 50 years ago to deny the name-rectification appeals of many tribal members, the Kabuasua people still hold the Night Ritual and the Howling-to-the-Sea Ritual year after year to thank the deities and spirits. In recent years they have also invited elders to schools to tell legends to tribal children, published picture books, collected cotton fluff, and made pillows, so that the culture can take root downward and be passed on sustainably.
In homes throughout the tribe and in tribal members' houses, one can see jars planted with Eupatorium japonicum and filled with clear water; tribal members all call them "Aligang." (Provided by the Kabuasua Cultural and Historical Workshop)
And every May, when the kapok fluff flies, Duan Hongkun, chairman of the Siraya Tribe Development Association and convener of the Kabuasua Workshop, also takes students to pick kapok fluff and stuff pillows. It is both a "graduation gift" for young people and a childhood memory for local elders.
This year the workshop also published the children's book "Crossing the Sea," turning the legend of the Howling-to-the-Sea Ritual into a picture book, and plans to hold sharing and storytelling sessions at Kabuasua Elementary School. During the summer vacation, tribal elders and young people returning home will also be invited to exchange stories and share tribal memories.
"The workshop's mission is to pass culture on," said Chen Yijun. "We also hope that Zelan rice can give tribal farmers a better income and then give back to us." At present, Zelan rice's sales channel is built by the workshop on a volunteer basis, and the workshop's members all "have other full-time jobs and return home on holidays to volunteer."
For more information, visit the Kabuasua Cultural and Historical Workshop (http://wp.e-tribe.org.tw/kabuasua/?page_id=145) to look up more legends and related materials, or the Zelan Rice fan page (https://www.facebook.com/ihingpak)
To take part in the Kabuasua Siraya Night Ritual, please read the pre-event notice first
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