Written by 李坤維 / Translated by Ken Kraynak

Maybe it was just coincidence, but this is how I became acquainted with an aboriginal culture which is threatened by extinction. One day my work happened to take me to Wujie in Yilan County. After driving past the Dongshan River and turning onto a small winding road I took notice of a number of green patches off in the distance, something which you rarely see in the city. Upon reaching my destination I couldn’t help but exclaim to myself, “Wow, what a nice and simple little village!” My attention was immediately drawn to a large tree encircled by a fence of green bamboo, a silent sentry standing not far from the entrance to the village, beckoning me to draw near. It may sound strange, but I have an indescribable fascination with big trees. I find then so alluring that I feel compelled to get close and strike up a friendship with them. With stout trunk and branches supporting a symmetric canopy of leaves, this is one fine tree – just like its kind and energetic owner, whom I was about to meet.

With his whitening hair, light skin, and ingenuous smile, upon seeing us Xiao Linge (小林哥) enthusiastically invites us to try his coffee. He’s quite proud of it, and rightly so! Those who enjoy black coffee will definitely appreciate his expertise. In the course of our chat I ask Xiao Linge, “Funny; why are you so different from other aboriginal people I know?” Xiao Linge responds by recounting the story of the Kavalan (噶瑪蘭) tribe. A branch of the Pingpu group of indigenous peoples, the Kavalan are the 11th aboriginal tribe to be recognized by the Executive Yuan of the ROC, and began to be influenced by Chinese culture relatively late. The Kavalan are distinguished by their high cheek bones and deep eye sockets; the men are fairly tall, and the women are quite attractive. Legend has it that the ancestors of the Kavalan immigrated to Taiwan from the South Pacific Islands. After passing the “Island of Fire” (aka Green Island, off the southwest coast of Taiwan) they continued north by sea, finally settling on the Lanyang Plain (蘭陽平原, modern day Yilan).

Xiao Linge gestures towards some traditional Kavalan clothing mounted on the wall, asking us if we notice anything different about it. After inspecting it with my eyes and hands I can tell that its texture is not the same as cotton or silk, and that it has a kind of luster, but none of us can guess what it is made of. We are astounded when Xiao Linge announces that it is “banana silk.”The clothing really is woven from the fibers of a banana tree, and in our surprise we realize the uniqueness of the Kavalan.

“Come on! I’ll take you to see something interesting,” Xiao Linge suddenly exclaims, standing up and beckoning us to follow. As we skirt the edge of a lush green partition he tells us about the traditional lifestyle of his father’s generation. The Kavalan custom was to build small settlements near rivers, and in the early days there were several dozen Kavalan villages (referred to as “communities”) in the Ilan area, giving rise to the term the “Thirty-six Communities of the Kavalan.”  We were in the Liuliu Community (流流社), which is the best preserved Kavalan village. The Kavalan were a self-sufficient hunting and gathering society which subsisted by a combination of shifting agriculture (dry land farming), hunting, and fishing. All of their food and clothing came from nature. They tilled the soil with a small spade to grow such crops as millet, corn, yams, and upland rice. Their homes were made of bamboo and thatch. Xiao Linge points out our destination – the Kavalan Old House – saying, “This is the original style of our homes; they were made using locally available materials, and designed accordingly. In Kavalan society the women did most of the farm work, while the men specialized in hunting and fishing, which they began to learn from the age of ten. But faced with ever-increasing exposure to mainstream Taiwan culture these traditions are slowing dying out.” As he informs us of this, I detect a barren expression in Xiao Linge’s eyes, but his big smile is back on his face in no time at all. I’m amazed when he tells us, “Actually, in Kavalan society men have no standing.” He goes on to explain, “The women really do rule the roost. We are a matrilineal society which practices matrilocality. The wife is in charge of her children and her husband, and when a man grows up and gets married he joins his wife’s family and doesn’t have any inheritance rights. All the family property is inherited by the women. Only with my generation has this begun to change; previously a man really did have to go and live with his wife’s family.” When I jokingly ask if he too belongs to his wife’s family, he lightheartedly replies, “Sinification has already gone so far that these days it’s hard to find a family to marry into.”

As we continue walking, Xia Linge informs us that of all the aboriginal groups in Ilan today, the Kavalan are the only tribe which is continuing to maintain its language. He cites as examples the Kavalans living in Fengbin Township (豐濱鄉) in Hualian County, as well as those in Zhangyuan Village (樟原村) in Taidong County’s Changbin Township (長濱鄉) who still converse with each other in their native language. Once we got talking about languages we couldn’t help but to ask Xiao Linge for an impromptu language lesson, which included the following: tama ‘father;’ tena ‘mother;’ uho ‘head;’ vuho ‘hair;’ mata ‘eye;’ unom ‘nose;’ rima ‘hand;’ kayal ‘ear;’ aiko ‘I;’ and aiso ‘you.’ Afterwards we had a rip-roaring time inserting our newly-acquired Kavalan vocabulary into our Mandarin speech.

On the way back to Xiao Linge’s bed and breakfast I began to consider the extent of the crisis facing traditional cultures. I was rather saddened by the thought that the only way future generations will be able to learn about their own cultures will be by visiting a museum. I then began to think about my own experience. Although half of my ancestors hail from Fujian and the other half are Hakka, I can only speak with my kids in Mandarin. I found it quite depressing to realize that my kids are learning neither Taiwanese nor Hakka, and it’s ironic that the only chance they will have to learn these two languages will be at school. Actually, the problem of cultural preservation is even more serious in such areas as handicrafts, customs, and cultural industry, none of which can be preserved by government support alone.

Having travelled extensively all over Taiwan, I firmly believe that we Taiwanese ought to be proud of ourselves. After all, where else can you find such friendly people and such a richness and diversity of cultural activities? And then there is the magnificent scenery; from the majestic peaks all the way down to the gorgeous coastline. This is our island. I hope that everybody can be as proud of it as I am!

After passing by Xiao Linge’s well-known tree house we arrive at the riverside and the Donghe River Water Park suddenly comes into our range of vision. We are also surprised by the sight of Xiao Linge’s bamboo raft, which he used to use for fishing and now makes available to his guests. It’s a big hit with his younger visitors, who vie with each other to get on board and have a taste of what it was like to be a fisherman in days gone by. Of course you feel totally awkward as you teeter back and forth, but if your luck is good you just might catch your dinner! Be forewarned, however: this is a fish farm, and you have to throw the small ones back. (In fact there aren’t many keepers to speak of).

During my visit to the Kavalan Liuliu Community, I saw in Xiao Linge’s amber eyes what it means to hold fast to one’s culture. Without being pushy or overbearing, Xiao Linge incorporates traditional culture into his daily life, creating a relaxed atmosphere in which visitors have the chance to encounter an aboriginal culture on the brink of disappearance. According to Xiao Linge, the duty of every member of the Kavalan tribe is to pass on their culture to the next generation.

Now I finally understand that culture is something which can continue only if it is passed on to the younger generation. At the Kavalan Old House I came to know a Taiwanese aboriginal who is working hard to preserve his culture. The pride of the Kavalan people is evident in his eyes, lending confidence to this scion of the Kavalans to carry on with his mission. When you have a chance to visit Ilan be sure to visit the Kavalan Old House; you’re certain to learn more about the Kavalans, and make a new friend in the process.