"Crossing through that mountain, there lies the migration route of our ancestors." an elder says while pointing to the hilltop.

lohizaw, meaning ridge crossing in SaySiyat(賽夏). This project attends the SaySiyat‘s migration route by exploring foothills in Miaoli Shihtan (苗栗獅潭) and Nanzhuang (南庄) township. The route crosses through Kakatoray (桃牛坪山), which is also the first hilltop we encountered in our lohizaw journey.  Crossing the Kakatoray, there lies our traditional territory, the place is familiar to the people in our community, yet now being expropriated as national land. The cordillera formed the natural barriers and the provincial boundaries for us. It is also the transit route for SaySiyat to commute between Shihtan and Penglai (蓬萊) in the past.

The SaySiyat ancestors swiftly walked along the mountain trails. They traveled back and forth linking networks that are from the other side of the mountains. They used to collect food, cut bamboos, track animal trails, trace the enemy's movements, and survive on these trails. However, the nowadays changing lifestyle has made the walk a withered memory. Facing the decay, we decided to return to this buried path that connected us to the past.

Yet, where is our road? Entering the forest, we saw fallen trees, withered vines, and lush miscanthus, blocking the way in front of us. We swung the knives and removed the obstacles, leaving marks on our trail. Juxtaposing and recalibrating constantly between the embodied experience of walking and the stories told by the elders, the project composed a path that united us with the memories of the past.
 

Hewen a ta:in tawtawazay is SaySiyat from kaehkaeh'oe'an, Nanzhuang Township, Miaoli County. She has her master’s degree from Taipei National University of the Arts, Transdisciplinary Arts program, and currently works and lives in Taipei. In 2018, she returned to her community searching for her family’s history. She tried to find the path to her name and to herself.  In 2020, she finally completed her name: hewen a ta:in tawtawazay. Recently, she has gone to the mountains to locate the migration route of her ancestors. She also tried to recognize some of the acquaintances. She now strives to become a cultural learner.