# Characters

馬太鞍 Fata'an

01. My Cousin Diway

"Diway, 26 years old, currently lives in the Xiaobitan Community along the Xindian River. Like many people of the previous or the same generation in the community who moved north, he came to Taipei with his friends to do construction-related work and live along the river bank... Diway and his friends have been exploring Fata'an Creek since they were young, making it into a place where you can play in the water and fish for shrimp. They learn by obtaining information from the elders, by observing changes in the terrain after each typhoon, and in recent years, by making extra efforts to avoid areas that have become tourist attractions."

This is a note I wrote shortly before the beginning of this project. My memories of Fata'an Creek, and my short involvement with the rivers were all mostly induced by my cousin Diway. When Diway was little, he often came home excitedly announcing his new fun water-dabbling spot. Later, in every stage of his life -- when he was away from home studying for baseball training; or when he began to work, and we both had jobs in Taipei-- he can always find time in his short return home, or in his brief resting moment after work, running to the riversides.

In order to work in the Hualien Sugar Factory, our elders had moved some distance away from the center of the community. Therefore, our family had stopped participating in the selal (the Pangcah age-set organization or age group) for several generations. Also, our previous generation had to go out and earn their living through labor work. Since then, we had become unfamiliar with our own Pangcah culture. It is not until our generation, that we have the opportunity to re-enter the selal, and learn how to be a Pangcah again. During the filming process, the grandpa living next door saw us preparing to participate in Ilisin ( Harvest Festival), so he came into the yard to help Diway adjust his clothes. This was the first time that an elder at home helped us adjust our clothes. In the past, it was brothers and sisters in the same age group who had to help out each other.
In order to work in the Hualien Sugar Factory, our elders had moved some distance away from the center of the community. Therefore, our family had stopped participating in the selal (the Pangcah age-set organization or age group) for several generations. Also, our previous generation had to go out and earn their living through labor work. Since then, we had become unfamiliar with our own Pangcah culture. It is not until our generation, that we have the opportunity to re-enter the selal, and learn how to be a Pangcah again. During the filming process, the grandpa living next door saw us preparing to participate in Ilisin ( Harvest Festival), so he came into the yard to help Diway adjust his clothes. This was the first time that an elder at home helped us adjust our clothes. In the past, it was brothers and sisters in the same age group who had to help out each other.
In order to work in the Hualien Sugar Factory, our elders had moved some distance away from the center of the community. Therefore, our family had stopped participating in the selal (the Pangcah age-set organization or age group) for several generations. Also, our previous generation had to go out and earn their living through labor work. Since then, we had become unfamiliar with our own Pangcah culture. It is not until our generation, that we have the opportunity to re-enter the selal, and learn how to be a Pangcah again. During the filming process, the grandpa living next door saw us preparing to participate in Ilisin ( Harvest Festival), so he came into the yard to help Diway adjust his clothes. This was the first time that an elder at home helped us adjust our clothes. In the past, it was brothers and sisters in the same age group who had to help out each other.

When off from work, we often went to several of his favorite fishing spots in Taipei together. When we went home for our Ilisin (Pangcah Harvest Festival), we also revisited a few of his childhood favorite water spots. One of which was Cilifenam. My father took me there too when I was filming him. According to our interviews with the elders, it is a place where we migrated to, and where we prayed for the rain in the past.
When off from work, we often went to several of his favorite fishing spots in Taipei together. When we went home for our Ilisin (Pangcah Harvest Festival), we also revisited a few of his childhood favorite water spots. One of which was Cilifenam. My father took me there too when I was filming him. According to our interviews with the elders, it is a place where we migrated to, and where we prayed for the rain in the past.
When off from work, we often went to several of his favorite fishing spots in Taipei together. When we went home for our Ilisin (Pangcah Harvest Festival), we also revisited a few of his childhood favorite water spots. One of which was Cilifenam. My father took me there too when I was filming him. According to our interviews with the elders, it is a place where we migrated to, and where we prayed for the rain in the past.

cilifenam(吉利潭_俗稱_大池)

cilifenam(吉利潭_俗稱_大池)

02. My Father Jodian Acay

Jodian Acay left his hometown after secondary school, to complete higher education and to work in the city. He has been traveling back and forth between the city and hometown ever since He maintained a strong memory and emotional tie with traditional culture, yet felt estranged.

His affinity with Cilifenam came from childhood memories of catching fish, mussels, and picnicking there. Howecer, the river is no longer the same as in his memory.

03. Faki Mayaw Losh

In the past, Faki Mayaw Losh had trained countless baseball players. Now he continues to research and pass down the Fata'an culture inheritance. As Faki (uncles, senior men) suffered from hearing loss, he communicated with us through both talking and drawings on paper. He told us a comprehensive migration history of the Fata’an Community. In addition, he had proudly exhibited to us the “community map” that he already made years ago.

Mayaw Losh
Fata'an
School teacher, Baseball coach, Chef, Pangcah Cultural Researcher

Mayaw runs a restaurant with his wife. The restaurant opens fifteen days a month. He is also a retired school teacher and a renowned baseball coach. He has a deep interest in the culture of Pangcah. The story begins with the interior decoration of the restaurant, which includes: a collection of art and crafts, portraits of the local people in oil paints, and hand-drawn cultural maps.

04. Afe'doay Foting Mayaw

When I asked my family about the story of the river, my father said that he and my uncle are taking me to see Afeʼdoay. Afeʼdoay spoke slowly but clearly, from the story of his life to the change of rituals and beliefs in Fata'an’s traditional culture. And how, due to a big flood in our mythological history, we have moved from the holy mountain of Cacura'an, to various locations, and finally, we came to Fata'an, our old community.

Through my father and my uncle’s explanation, I realized that I and Afeʼdoay are relatives. There were many things I had never heard before in the conversation. We reminisced about different family members, where they live now, and how they are. I also heard many family stories from the past. I did not expect that by following the river, I got to revisit my family’s history at the same time. After leaving Afeʼdoay's house, my father asked me to help him to write our family history together.

Afe’doay Foting Mayaw (Chinese: Zeng Tong Hua 曾通華)
Fata'an Community
Priest in the Fata'an Community, died May 2021
Afe’doay Foting Mayaw (Chinese: Zeng Tong Hua 曾通華)
Fata'an Community
Priest in the Fata'an Community, died May 2021
Afe’doay Foting Mayaw (Chinese: Zeng Tong Hua 曾通華)
Fata'an Community
Priest in the Fata'an Community, died May 2021

When we made the film, he was 89 years old, the oldest Pangcah at the time. Foting was the ‘afedo’ay(the high priest, also the community leader) of all five communities. His memories of the past were still sharp. He experienced vividly when leadership and spirituality started to play a different role for the community. These changes also made the community face their own dual-identity or multiple identities issues.

05. Grandma I'lid (Mijiang Ama)

Ilid was been called "Mijiang Ama" by her community members. She is recognized as a teacher in the Culture and Health Station. Combining her childhood memories and her resoluted learning will, Ilid was able to pass down the Pangcah culture with her artistic handicrafting skills.

Though she is proficient in Chinese, she insisted on using her native language throughout the filming process. She demands us to listen and understand our Pangcah language. She took us to the river and told the stories of the past landscape, their connection to the river before its diversion and disappearance, and the difficulties encountered when first living in the mountains.

I'lid (Chinese: Wu Lien Mei 吳連妹 )
Fata'an Community
Community elder
I'lid (Chinese: Wu Lien Mei 吳連妹 )
Fata'an Community
Community elder

In addition to the handicrafts and the traditional ceremonies, "Mijiang Ama” also guides people to reconnect with their cultures. Like many elders, she has sharp memories of her past. She remembered that before industrialization, she farmed in Indigenous fields. However, as the government continued in taking the Indigenous people’s lands, our memories of rivers and their connection with the lands gradually faded away.

06. Lisin Haluwey

We knew each other in the school downtown. Lisin and I are both members of Fata’an who didn’t go to school in our own community. She is my senior both in school and in the path of studying Fata'an culture. She has been actively involved in Indigenous affairs and initiatives from various aspects. Lisin’s course on identity is closely related to her own experience in gender issues. Near Fata'an, she opened "R s.space café" with her partner Kawah Umei in Fenglin Township. They advocated and organized many activities at the community level. Lisin is our translator, production manager, and log keeper in Fata'an.

Lisin是我們在馬太鞍的翻譯、製片與場記。
Lisin是我們在馬太鞍的翻譯、製片與場記。
Lisin是我們在馬太鞍的翻譯、製片與場記。

小碧潭部落 Xiaobitan Community

01. Arum Abon

We were invited to visit the community leader Xie Yongfu(謝永福) in the Xiaobitan Community, who was given a Pangcah name Arum Abon by an elder. As a friend recommended him to move to Xiaobitan due to his work, he has rented a house, formed a family with his Pangcah wife and settled down in the Xiaobitan Community. Discarded tabletops made up most of the walls in their house, he explained to us the process of coming to Xiaobitan Community, becoming the leader, while expressing concerns about the younger generation. In the Xiaobitan Community, their housings were built with available found materials. With different occupants moved in and out at different periods, the houses embodied the memories of each resident, showing the traces and the patches of their life.

Postscript: Due to the characteristics of Arum’s work, he has moved out of the Xiaobitan Community.

Arum Abon
Xiaobitan Community leader

Arum Abon is not ethnically Indigenous. Yet he was elected as the community leader three years ago. He envisioned that Xiaobitan Community would become an independent community. People from different backgrounds, even migrated Hakka and Han Taiwanese can be a part of the community. Under his leadership, paintings started to appear throughout the environment. It serves as a form of identification and transformation. Pangcah's annual Harvest Festival reappeared in the community because of his effort. Though he felt desperation when the younger generation lost touch with the culture, his wife encouraged him to create opportunities for them to learn traditional culture.

Left_Arum Abon
Right_ Abon's wife

02. Ka'etiy and Hana Guney

Ka'etiy explained the founding process of the Xiaobitan Community. Her husband was the leading member of the three Indigneous communities around the Xindian area.

Hana was a radio DJ and used to teach Amis language. When we were in the Xiaobitan Community, she guided us wherever we went with warmth and hospitality. She shared stories about the beginning of the Xiaobitan Community. There were constant threats and harassment from the authorities, and conflicts about the legalities living on the riverbank.

Left_
Hana Guney
The elder in the Xiaobitan Community. She used to be a radio DJ and Pangcah language teacher.

Right_
Ka'etiy
The leader's wife, who manages communities affairs across the Xiaobitan area

Ka'etiy took an old photograph of Xiaobitan Community and explained how this community was built years ago.
Ka'etiy took an old photograph of Xiaobitan Community and explained how this community was built years ago.
Ka'etiy took an old photograph of Xiaobitan Community and explained how this community was built years ago.

03. Grandma Wusay Saumah

Grandma Wusay Saumah(Wusay Ama) moved from Fata'an to Taipei with her husband. They bought a plot of ground in Xiaobitan, built their own house and garden there. She has been a farmer ever since, planted food crops that were often seen in her homeland Fata'an. I asked her if she would move back to Fata'an. She replied Xiaobitan is now her hometown.

Wusay Saumah
Xiaobitan
Community elder / farmer
Wusay Saumah
Xiaobitan
Community elder / farmer
Wusay Saumah
Xiaobitan
Community elder / farmer

Jemeri, Malaysia

Amai

We called her Amai. In Amai's heart, there is a sense of attachment and trust towards the rivers. She feels sad as she now lives afar from the rivers. She still believes in the existence of the souls, and the sacred place in Jemeri. During our interview, she described the hardships and frustrations of life in the early days, but she said that the sacred place was her heart's refuge.

Amai has a pair of skillful hands. She can weave all kinds of handicrafts. She also uses tree bark to make clothing and creates a new variety of styles for different people in her community. In order to show me her process of making crafts, she did a prayer with tree bark then cut off the suitable part. During our visit, a few women gathered to hammer the tree bark and made it a new cloth.

Atok Dobi

Every day Atok Dobi would remind us to record the river. So we made an appointment with him one night, to draw the river from his memory and asked the young people in the community to listen in and write down the names. There was a young man helping with dictation, and for him, these names are new to him, it is because he now lives a life far from the rivers. There has been a distance between the river and his life. After Dobi drew the river, we invited other elders to discuss this map altogether. They have distinct memories of ways to cross the river. They also recollected differently on every shortcut and different river branches. They joked about the picture, as it was an over-simplified version of the river. Finally, as they recalibrated the differences between each one’s respective memories, this simple map suddenly became more three-dimensional.

Atok Dobi is an elder from the Indigenous community. Since our first day of arrival, he has kept telling us about their river, the names of every stream and branch, where they intersect, and the spirits living in the river.
Atok Dobi is an elder from the Indigenous community. Since our first day of arrival, he has kept telling us about their river, the names of every stream and branch, where they intersect, and the spirits living in the river.
Atok Dobi is an elder from the Indigenous community. Since our first day of arrival, he has kept telling us about their river, the names of every stream and branch, where they intersect, and the spirits living in the river.

Atok Dobi drew down the lines slowly, sometimes with eyes closed, like he was swimming in the river channel, and carefully considering the length of each distributary every time his pen landed on paper.

Os

The night we drew down the river with Atok Dobi, Os helped him to write down the names of places and river branches. He said that he had never been to many of these places. Neither did he hear of these names, nor acknowledge their existence. He felt strange and envious hearing the stories of the past, when the elders used to take the rivers as their road. Instead of taking the boats, people in Jemeri use cars as their means of transportation today.

Os is a Jakun youth from Jemeri. Jakun people used to live by the rivers, but now they build their life away from them. While we were crossing the river on the boat, he told us that this was the second time in his life to paddle a boat. For him, the river symbolizes unknown strangeness and danger. Although Os has converted to Christianity, his life is still integrated with traditional beliefs. He follows and observes rituals and taboos, and remains in awe of all kinds of spirits in nature.
Os is a Jakun youth from Jemeri. Jakun people used to live by the rivers, but now they build their life away from them. While we were crossing the river on the boat, he told us that this was the second time in his life to paddle a boat. For him, the river symbolizes unknown strangeness and danger. Although Os has converted to Christianity, his life is still integrated with traditional beliefs. He follows and observes rituals and taboos, and remains in awe of all kinds of spirits in nature.
Os is a Jakun youth from Jemeri. Jakun people used to live by the rivers, but now they build their life away from them. While we were crossing the river on the boat, he told us that this was the second time in his life to paddle a boat. For him, the river symbolizes unknown strangeness and danger. Although Os has converted to Christianity, his life is still integrated with traditional beliefs. He follows and observes rituals and taboos, and remains in awe of all kinds of spirits in nature.

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