By / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department compiled report
 
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) announced on the 15th the 2016 Global Watch List of Cultural Heritage under Threat. The slate houses of the old Rukai village of Hohola in Pingtung, selected this time, are Taiwan’s second cultural asset to be included, following the Wong She Village (Huazhai) in Wang’an, Penghu, which was listed in 2004.

The selected Rukai slate houses are located in the old Hohola settlement in the Dabie Mountains of northeastern Pingtung. “Hohola,” originally called Kucapungane, is the birthplace of the Rukai people, reportedly with a history of over 600 years. The area sits at an altitude of about 1,000 meters.
 
An ancient legend surrounds this old settlement. It is said that Puraruyan, the ancestor of the Rukai people from Taitung, came to hunt in Mount Wutou with a clouded leopard. After drinking the sweet mountain spring water near the waterfall in Kucapungane, he did not want to leave, believing the place suitable for habitation. He then returned to Taitung to lead his people across the Central Mountain Range to settle in the Kochapongan area, hence the place became known as the “hometown of the clouded leopard.” The Rukai people in this region also refer to themselves as the “descendants of the clouded leopard.” They not only revere the clouded leopard as a sacred animal but also have a tradition of prohibiting its hunting.

Later, due to the involvement of Japanese and Kuomintang government forces, population outflow, and other factors, the Rukai people moved away from the old Hohola village. Currently, the slate houses of the old Hohola village are dilapidated, often damaged by typhoons, yet 163 houses remain relatively well-preserved. The Rukai people previously developed a complete tribal living domain in the old Hohola village, with over 100 settlement buildings built along the mountain slopes, more than 20 generations of chief family lineage central residences, as well as the unique architectural craftsmanship and traditions of the slate houses. Some slate stacks reach up to 5 feet high, holding significant historical, cultural, and artistic preservation value.

Headquartered in New York, USA, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the world’s earliest international non-profit organization dedicated to world heritage and architectural cultural preservation. It enjoys high credibility and is an important partner of UNESCO. WMF publishes a “World Monuments Watch” list every two years, calling on governments and the public to jointly identify important cultural relics in need of protection.

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