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."

Jialan 嘉蘭 Village 村 (Taitung 台東)

I tried to interview my coworker about Jialan.  She happens to live in the area.  It was a fun conversation. 我有一位同事住在嘉蘭，我詢問她有關嘉蘭的事情 ， 是一次有趣的訪談。

She didn't know the name of this mountain.  But then again, does it matter? 她不知道這座山的名稱 。

This road skirts the village of Jinfeng.  That's the Taimali River next to the road. 這條馬路會帶著你往金鋒部落 ， 旁邊的河川是太麻里溪 。

Further up the Taimali River is another village.  I asked my coworker what the Chinese name of this village is, but she wasn't sure. 太麻里溪往上走還有其他部落 ， 我同事不確定這個部落的國語名稱。

I assume this represents a Paiwan brave?  I asked my coworker about it, and she said: "Uh... yeah, sure." 這應該是排灣勇士吧 ?  她說 : "應該是" 。

This mural is on the wall of the Jinfeng Township Office.  The man and the woman in the mural are holding a two-person ceremonial cup, with a bowl of avai (or "abai") at their feet.  Avai is a kind of millet tamale. 這個壁畫在金鋒鄉公所的牆上，   男女拿著雙連杯 ， 他們腳前擺一盤avai，  Avai是用小米包的傳統食物 。

The same spot, looking in the other direction.  The statue in the foreground is millet and roselle flowers.  There are also millet and roselle flowers in the mural above. 在同一個地點往另外一邊看 。  雕像是小米跟洛神花 ， 上一張照片的壁畫也有 。

This is further up the hill. 往上坡走。

This is on a bridge near the same location.  The snakes on the urn are hundred pacers.  There are many, many indigenous stories about the hundred pace snake. 在附近的橋上 。  陶甕上的蛇是百步蛇 ， 原住民的傳說故事中有許多和百步蛇有關 。

This is as far up as you can go in Jinfeng Village without being attacked by dogs.  There are a lot of dogs in Jinfeng, and all the cats look very tough. 因為路邊的狗很兇，所以我們最高就走到金峰的這裡 。 這裡有很多的狗， 就連路邊的貓也都看起來很兇悍。

I asked my coworker if the government built these houses, perhaps after Typhoon Morakot or some other typhoon ravaged the area.  She didn't know, but promised to get back to me about it. 我問同事這些房子是不是颱風過後政府幫忙蓋的 ?  她不知道 ， 說她會打聽一下改天再跟我說。

"A," if you're reading this, I'm still waiting... A , 妳在讀這篇文章嗎 ?  我還在等 ...

One of the local churches.  My coworker isn't a member of this congregation.  She's Catholic, and this one is Protestant. 當地的教會 ， 這不是我同事的教會， 這是基督教的 ，而她是天主教的信徒。

Her parish has almost completed a new church, further down the hill. 她的教區在下面正在蓋新教堂，快完成了。

A traditional Paiwan house?  "Yes," she says, "But I don't think anyone lives there now." 是傳統的排灣屋子嗎 ?  她回答說 : "對， 可是現在沒有人住在這棟房子了 。"

She says that one of the villagers built this house without owning all of the land on which it sits.  The person who had it built still lives there, but it's a precarious situation. 她說當地的村民蓋了這棟房子 ，可是部分的土地不是他的 ，  雖然他現在住在這裡， 但問題是不知道可以住到什麼時候。

This, she says, is where the villagers hold their yearly harvest festival.  I asked her about the skulls, but she wasn't sure what they mean. 這塊地是村民舉辦豐年祭的地方 ， 我問她顱骨表示什麼， 但她不是很確定 。

This observation platform is east of the village.  She says people leave a lot of trash here, and it's a headache to clean it all up. 部落東部的觀景台 。  她說人們常在這裡亂丟垃圾 ， 清理上很麻煩 。

The view from the observation platform.  This river valley can get SCARY when the Taimali River is flooding.  My coworker says they conduct regular flood drills to prepare for such an event, but many of the villagers are older, and don't worry much about the weather. 觀景台的風景 。  太麻里溪河水高漲的時候這裡很恐怖 ， 她說村民常常做水災的演練 ， 可是很多村民年紀大了 ， 也不是很關心水災的可能性 。

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