排灣族婚禮 Paiwan Tribal Wedding Ceremonies (1 of 3)

The Chinese below was written by 劉思源 and the illustrations were done by 彭大維.  The English was written/translated by me.  The text comes from the book 排灣族婚禮, which was part of the "Boar Forest" 野豬林 series published way back in 1989.

My school was going to throw these books away!  I thought they could use a little love...

"叮叮咚咚" , 他們蓋房子做什麼 ? "Ding Ding Dong Dong," Why are They Building a House?

排灣族住在台灣南部的高山上 , 他們以打獵耕種為主 , 住在石板蓋的房屋 , 女孩擅長織繡 , 男孩擅長雕刻 , 過著平靜的部落生活 . The Paiwan Tribe lives in the high mountains of south Taiwan.  They primarily subsist on hunting and farming, and live in houses made of stone slabs.  The girls are skilled in weaving and embroidery, and the boys are great wood carvers.  They live peaceful lives in their villages. (1)

但是 , 每當有喜事 , 全部落的人都會聚在一起幫忙 , 非常熱鬧 .  像最近大頭目的兒子巴清要結婚了 .  因為他是頭目的兒子 , 更要好好準備一番 .  在幾個月前 , 巴清就和他的朋友們 , 忙著蓋新屋 , 準備結婚用 .  你看 , 巴清一邊蓋房屋 , 一邊笑 , 多興奮啊 !  排灣族的婚禮很特別 , 大家要穿上傳統的衣服 , 準備豐盛的食物 , 還要跳舞 , 唱歌 , 盪鞦韆呢 !  來 , 我們一起去參加 . However, when there's a joyous occasion the whole village comes together to help.  It can be very lively.  For example the chief's son Ba-qing is getting married, and because he's the chief's son he needs to be ready.  In the few months before the wedding Ba-qing and his friends will be busy constructing a new house for his wedding.  Look, Ba-qing is smiling, excited over the construction of his home.  The Paiwan wedding ceremony is very special, everyone needs to wear traditional clothes, help prepare a great feast, dance, sing songs and swing!  Come, let's join in the fun together! (2)

排灣青年怎樣找太太 ? How Do Paiwan Braves Find a Wife?

巴清的新娘叫做琳娜 , 她是隔壁部落大頭目的女兒 , 說起他們認識的經過 , 很好玩 .  依照排灣人的習俗 , 每天晚上 , 男孩子要到他看上的女孩窗前唱歌 , 一首接一首 , 直到深夜 .  最好玩的是 , 男孩們還成群結隊去 "找小姐" . Ba-qing's bride's name is Lina, she's the daughter of a chief in the next village over.  The tale of how they met is quite amusing.  In accordance with Paiwan custom, the boys sing in front of the window of the girls they like every evening, song after song, until very late at night.  The most amusing part is how boys form groups to "look for ladies."

"找小姐" 是排灣青年找友的特殊風俗 , 每天晚上 , 排灣青年三 , 五結伴 , 帶著檳榔 , 糖果到女孩家拜訪 , 女孩就趁這個機會挑選她喜歡的男孩 , 巴清就是這樣被琳娜選中的 . "Looking for ladies" is a custom unique to Paiwan youths.  Groups of three to five Paiwan braves will bring betel nut and candies to girl's homes each evening, and the girls will use this opportunity to choose boys they like.  Ba-qing met Lina in exactly this way. (3)

不過 , 巴清別太得意 , 被選上了還有好多事情要做 .  他要幫琳娜除田裡的雜草 , 上山砍柴 ... 做好多好多事 , 才能贏得琳娜的芳心 , 去女方家提親 , 討論聘禮和婚期 . Ba-qing shouldn't be too proud, however.  Being picked equals a lot of new responsibilities.  He needs to help Lina weed her [family's] fields, chop firewood in the mountains and many other things.  This is how he will win her heart and be able to propose a marriage to her family.  Then he will have to discuss wedding gifts and a wedding date with them.

看 !  各式各樣的聘禮 . Look!  All Kinds of Wedding Gifts

大頭目家的聘禮最隆重 , 不但要有各種生活上的用品 , 像鐵鍋 , 鐵耙等 , 還要有珍貴的傳家寶 , 像陶壺 , 琉璃珠 , 甚至還要送一塊土地給女方 . The wedding gifts given by the chief's family are the most important, and include daily necessities such as iron pots, rakes and precious family heirlooms like clay pots and beads.  They are even required to give the bride's family a plot of land.

然後就要決定結婚的日子 , 如果十天後結婚 , 就拿兩條繩子各打十個結 , 交給雙方 .  每過一天 , 就解開一個結 , 等結通通結開了 , 婚禮就到了 . [After these gifts are given] they need to choose a date for the wedding.  If the wedding is to take place in ten days, then two lengths of ropes tied into ten knots each are given to each family.  On each day a knot is untied, and when all of the knots are untied it's time for the wedding ceremony.

婚禮前 , 忙忙忙 . Very Busy Before the Wedding Ceremony

婚期決定以後 , 婚禮要用的東西得一樣一樣準備起來 , 吃的 , 喝的 , 穿的 , 戴的一樣也不能少 .  親戚們都趕來幫忙 , 巴清的媽媽和他的姐妹們忙著舂米 , 蒸酒 , 包米糕 .  她們包的米糕叫 "阿外" , 是用芋頭葉裹著小米和豬肉 , 做成的長條型米糕 , 它是排灣族特別的 "定情" 食物呢 ! After the wedding date is decided upon, everything for the wedding must be carefully prepared.  Food, drinks, clothes and other items are all essential.  The family quickly arrives to help as Ba-qing's mother and sisters busy themselves pounding rice, steaming wine and wrapping rice cakes.  The rice cakes they are preparing are called "awai," they're long cakes of millet and pork wrapped in taro leaves.  They're a special betrothal food of the Paiwan Tribe. (4)

另外還要在衣服上縫珠子 , 這樣穿上它跳舞時 , 才會有叮叮咚咚美妙聲音 .  頭上戴的鮮花也得事先準備好 . [Ba-qing's mother and sisters] also have to sew beads onto clothing so that when they're worn during a dance they make the beautiful "ding ding dong dong" sound.  Fresh flowers for headwear must also be prepared in advance.

巴清和他的朋友們 , 更要上山去打獵 , 抓山豬野鹿 , 準備迎親和宴客用 .  另外 , 還得到山上搬石板 , 蓋新屋 , 可得忙碌好多天呢 ! Ba-qing and his friends also need to go hunting in the mountains in order to bring back wild boar and deer for the wedding feast.  In addition they also need to build a stone slab house in the mountains, a task which keeps them busy for many days.

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1. This paragraph is problematic.  Overgeneralizing over any ethnic group poses problems, and this paragraph is no exception to the rule.  For one thing, Paiwan don't all live in the "high mountains" of south Taiwan.  Some actually live on the coast.  For another thing, many Paiwan people don't subsist on hunting and farming these days.  Many of them have regular jobs, and younger people often leave their village to go work in one of Taiwan's big cities.  Houses made of stone slabs?  Very few Paiwan people choose to live in them now, preferring instead modern homes with modern conveniences.  Many of the villages are trying to keep the weaving, embroidery and wood carving traditions alive, with mixed results.

2. The "swing" is a special kind of tribal swing suspended from poles.  It's often used during festival occasions.  It probably goes without saying, but not that many Paiwan tribal members build slab houses for their weddings in 2026.

3. I wonder what "candy" would mean in a traditional Paiwan context.  I've never heard of any traditional type of Paiwan candy, but maybe there is such a thing.

4. Regional pronunciations of "awai" vary, and no, it's not a food exclusive to the Paiwan Tribe.  I've also heard it pronounced "avai" or "abai."

Majia Township, Pingtung County 屏東縣瑪家鄉

Majia Township is north of Taiwu Township.  It's in the mountains.  Most of Majia's residents live in Paiwan villages along the Mountainside Highway. 瑪家鄉位於泰武鄉的北部 。  瑪家鄉算山區 ，  那裏的居民大部分居住在沿山公路上的排灣部落 。

According to the last census, 6,796 people live in Majia. 上次的人口統計顯示瑪家的人口是6,796人 。

The Taiwan Indigenous People's Cultural Park, at the north end of the township, not far from Sandimen.  The indoor exhibition area isn't great, but there are some great views, aboriginal art and examples of aboriginal architecture outside the exhibition area. 臺灣原住民族文化園區在瑪家的北部 ， 靠近三地門 。  戶內的展覽館不是很有趣 ， 可是戶外的風景很棒， 還有原住民的藝術品和傳統的建築物 。

As a place to learn about Taiwan's aboriginal tribes, however, I'd rank it below the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village in Nantou and the Prehistory Museum in Taitung.  It's definitely worth a visit, but I didn't find it as informative as those other two places. 我覺得這裡的教育價值比較低， 我建議想認識臺灣原住民文化的旅客去南投的九族文化村或是台東的史前博物館 。  雖然原住民族文化園區值得去 ， 可是沒有很多介紹原住民的資料。

On the other side of the indoor exhibition area you'll find this suspension bridge. 展覽館另外一邊有這座吊橋 。

For the most part nature in this area has been left alone.  In this respect the Indigenous People's Cultural Park stands in sharp contrast to the other two aboriginal attractions mentioned above.  Those other two places have been heavily landscaped. 這個地方的自然環境被保護的比較好。  以自然環境來說 ， 原住民族文化園區比其他兩個景點好很多 ， 九族文化村跟史前博物館處處可見人為造景。

The Aboriginal People's Cultural Park offers a glimpse at how aboriginal people once lived.  They lived much shorter lives back then, and their interactions with other groups were more problematic, but I like to think that they were happy. 在原住民族文化園區可以看到以前原住民的生活方式 。  他們那個時代的人壽命比較短 ， 跟其他族群交流比較會產生問題 ，可是他們山上的生活應該很開心 。

Paiwan art is very interesting, though you need not visit this place to see it.  Every Paiwan village comes with local art, much of it featuring "hundred pace snakes," braves and witches. 排灣的藝術品很有趣 。 你不一定要來這裡看 ，  每個排灣族部落有自己的藝術品 。大部分的作品是百步蛇 、 勇士跟巫婆。

Nearby is the Shanchuan (Mountain River) Glass Suspension Bridge.  This is a major tourist attraction, so expect big crowds on weekends. 山川琉璃吊橋在附近 。 這座吊橋是重要景點 ，周末的時候是人山人海。

It might look daunting, but it's an easy walk to the other side.  The only annoying part is people continually posing for pictures along the length of the bridge. 看起來有點恐怖 ，可是很簡單就可以走到橋的另外一頭。  煩人的部分是很多人在橋上自拍 。

You can't see it in this picture, but the Taiwan Indigenous People's Culture Park is on the other side. 在照片看不出來 ，原住民族文化園區就在那座山坡上 。

This view is much further up, above Linali Village.  The road that passes by Linali Village goes DEEP into the mountains, to the other side of the township. 更上面的風景 。 經過禮納里部落之後，這條路往更深的山裡去到瑪家的另外一側。

Not far south of there is the Liangshan Waterfall.  At the time I took these pictures it hadn't rained in a while, and both the waterfall and the creek bed below it were completely dry.  Hopefully by the time you read this it will have rained there. 南邊一點點有涼山瀑布 。  已經很久沒下雨了 ， 所以我拍照的時候瀑布跟溪床都沒有水 。  希望你讀這片文章的時候那裡已經下過雨了 。

Minus the waterfall it's still a nice place to walk.  Just try to get there early.  Later in the day tour groups show up, and the microphones the tour guides use can be very annoying. 就算瀑布沒有水，在這裡散步仍是不錯的 。  比較早來比較好 ，晚一點就有旅行團來了， 越晚旅行團越多 ，  而且他們都用很大聲的麥克風導覽 。

"Taiwan's Six Big Venomous Snakes."  Yeah, this is a thing, so be careful where you step.  I don't actually worry about snakes that much.  Monkeys are a much bigger problem. 臺灣的6大毒蛇 。  這裡有毒蛇沒錯 ， 所以走路要小心 。  其實我沒有那麼在乎毒蛇 ， 猴子才是最可怕的 。

Anybody know what kind of tree this is?  I asked a friend who knows about such things, and she wasn't sure.  Apparently there are two kinds of tree that look like this.  Whatever they are, the park below the waterfall has many of them. 有人知道這是哪一種樹嗎 ?  我問過一位認識臺灣植物的朋友 ，她說有兩種樹看起來像這棵樹，所以她不確定是這是什麼樹。不管這是什麼樹，瀑布下方有很多。

Still further south is the village of Jiayi, just below the Liding Mountain Trailhead.  I'm guessing that winged figure at the bottom is a face?   更南邊有靠近笠頂山登山步道的佳義部落 。我猜想上面的圖案是人的臉。

This is the trail itself.  Exercise extreme caution when hiking here -- several hikers have died on this trail.  Some of these deaths were due to adverse weather conditions, while others were due to hikers not being in good enough shape for their hike. 這是步道 。  在這裡爬山要小心 ， 有人在這裡發生過意外。  有的人死亡的原因是天氣變差 ， 有的人是身體狀況不佳 。

Looking east toward the Central Mountain Range.  Parts of Majia are very beautiful, and I was a bit sorry to leave it. 往東邊看中央山脈 ， 瑪家的風景好美 ， 我不是很想離開了 !

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