One year after Typhoon Morakot, the Little Lin Plains Indigenous Night Festival kicks off

Reported by You Tzu-ju / Comprehensive report

The annual “Little Lin Plains Indigenous Night Festival” was held yesterday (8th) at the Little Lin Shrine in the Jiaxian Plains Indigenous Cultural Park. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu attended the ceremony to worship the Supreme Ancestors and celebrate with the community members. She said that the Little Lin Night Festival is an important intangible cultural asset of the nation. After Typhoon Morakot, the hardware reconstruction of Little Lin has been completed, and she also hopes that the Plains Indigenous culture of Little Lin will continue to thrive, uniting the hearts and roots of the Little Lin people to protect their heritage and revive the village’s former glory.

 
▲The “Little Lin Plains Indigenous Night Festival” was held yesterday (8th) at the Little Lin Shrine in the Jiaxian Plains Indigenous Cultural Park. (Photo / Provided by the Kaohsiung City Government)

The Plains Indigenous Night Festival is an important intangible cultural asset of the nation. The “Arikan Plains Indigenous Festival,” “Dinglianlong Plains Indigenous Festival,” and “Little Lin Plains Indigenous Night Festival” have been registered as three major Plains Indigenous festivals in Kaohsiung. It is hoped that the spirit of Plains Indigenous culture and cultural exchanges will be continued, uniting the enthusiasm and solidarity of tribal members, and promoting this important cultural asset of Kaohsiung.

Little Lin preserves the most complete Plains Indigenous culture in Taiwan. The 15th day of the ninth lunar month is the birthday of the Plains Indigenous deity Alidu (referred to as the Supreme Ancestors by the Little Lin people), and this marks the fifth celebration since the permanent residences in Wulipu were rebuilt. This event returned to the most original ceremonial rituals. In the afternoon, the community began welcoming and worshipping the Supreme Ancestors, while in the evening, the highlight of the night festival took place, reviving long-lost traditional ceremonies such as the circle dance (Qianqu) and ritual plays (Qianxi). Many community members returned to reunite, dance, and celebrate together.

In addition to presenting the most authentic and traditional night festival by the Little Lin people, the nearby cultural museum also displays artifacts from the daily lives of Little Lin villagers. A series of activities were held, including the Plains Indigenous race (Zoubiao), shrine restoration, bamboo orientation ceremony, Plains Indigenous skills demonstrations and hands-on experiences, guided tours of Plains Indigenous life artifacts, sampling of Plains Indigenous cuisine for peace and blessings, as well as the promotion and exhibition of creative industries’ rebuilding efforts — all showcasing the cultural heritage the community takes pride in.