History

Taiwan Aboriginal Map indicates the name and distribution of the SaySiyat communities during the late Qing dynasty. The clan names were adopted from SaySiyat people's names. For example, Zhangkalihshè(樟加利社) near Shikou(獅口), combines a surname Zhang(樟), or Menrakesi in SaySiyat, and a given name kalih (加利). Similarly, Taw'itihshè(豆憶德社) is a combination of our surname Tawtawazay(豆), and a Han-Chinese phonetic translation of a given name 'itih. The map shows, at that time, the SaySiyat people were distributed throughout the Zhonggang River Basin (中港溪流域) and the Houlong River Basin (後龍溪流域).  Zhangkalihshè, Taw'itihshè and others even lived on the western plain of Taiwan other than the "Three Bays" area, proving the elder's statements that the SaySiyat people used to live on the western plains.

It proves that the Tawtawazay families from Shihtan and those who live in kaehkaeh'oe'an, Nanzhuang were separated and lived apart long before the Japanese occupation. 

Modern geographic maps, GPS positioning, and Google earth are not easy to read for the elders. At the beginning of our investigation, elders drew the migration route from their memory, indicating important locations and relative positions. Although these maps are simple, they form an important starting point for our exploration.

During the fieldwork, I recorded the names of many ancient places in SaySiyat. Through the language, I can better understand the relationship between ancestors and the land. For example:

Sayae’​  
One of the ancestral lands of the Tawtawazay family. Sayae’ means wild banyan tree, there used to be a big banyan tree here.

linlinkingan  
A place with a lot of longan fruit, linking means longan.

kamabinsong  
The Han-Chinese call it "Ghost Lake", with a narrow shack. Indigenous and Han people used to trade here, but once there was a big dispute which caused heavy casualties. Elders used to bring sacrifices to worship here in March. Koko’ lalo’ (Tawtawazay’s grandmother) often warns not to go there. There are many taboos.

kawnahosongan  
Monkey cave, place with many monkeys. It used to be a cliff, but was excavated in order to open the road. It is at the Mouth of the Bull (牛鬥口).

Houlong ’ae’aewrangan  
’aewrang means thorny bamboo, which indicates a place full of thorny bamboos. It refers to the location of Miaoli Houlong Township. 

Discussing this erasure of history is a matter of historical justice, land justice, and reimagining Traditional Territory in a contemporary era.


Left: project outline. 
My expectations and my mutters about entering the mountain.