The YunTai Tribe, a disaster-stricken area, sees ancestral artifacts of the Rukai tribe chief displayed in Taipei

Text by Li Xinyi, compiled and reported by MOOK Travel & Lifestyle Network

 

The arrival of the cloud era symbolizes the ever-evolving advancement of technology; the existence of the YunTai Tribe, however, represents the millennia-old traditional culture of Taiwan. You may have already experienced the cloud era—so what about the YunTai Tribe? The A Li Tribe is the most remote ancient Rukai settlement in Wutai Township, Pingtung County. Known as the tribe in the clouds, it still preserves the traditional social systems and ceremonial rituals of the Rukai people, who coexist peacefully with the natural environment and ecological species through conservation efforts. In 2009, Typhoon Morakot brought torrential rains that severely devastated Rukai communities, with the A Li Tribe being among the hardest-hit disaster zones. The tribe’s residents have since relocated from their ancestral homeland, but the chief’s artifacts from the YunTai Tribe have made their way to Taipei. To catch a glimpse of the YunTai Tribe, the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines is currently hosting a special exhibition titled “Chief Artifacts of the A Li Tribe of the Western Rukai Group,” which will run until January 5, 2013.

The history of the A Li Tribe dates back 800 years or even over a thousand years to an ancient Rukai settlement. Its chief’s slate house is a traditional structure, approximately 300 years old, serving multiple functions such as a cultural heritage education center, tribal meeting venue, ceremonial event space, dispute mediation site, support center for the vulnerable, preservation location for ancient artifacts, and even an ecological tour guide station. This highlights the pivotal role the chief’s residence plays in cultural continuity, mutual aid, and creative industries.

The chief’s traditional slate house currently houses around a hundred ancient artifacts, including traditional hunter items, ceremonial attire for various festivals, jewelry worn by men and women, pottery jars, ancient glassware, animal bones, farming tools, shaman ritual vessels, and relics from the Dutch and Japanese colonial periods. These items comprehensively document historical traces from different eras and are considered treasures of Rukai culture. This special exhibition preserves the ancestral artifacts from the home of Chief Abaliwsu of the Western Rukai Group, which have been passed down for a century. They hold significant research value not only in Taiwan but also internationally. Through documentaries and exhibitions, the mysterious veil over these century-old chief’s home artifacts is being lifted. The precious pottery jars, previously kept in the chief’s residence, are also making their first trip away from the ancestral homeland to Taipei.

 

● Extended Reading: Sky Adventure (I) / Journey to the Hometown of the Mikado Pheasant – the Biayi Tribe

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