A New Secret Spot for Autumn Maple Viewing in Malike Bay Stream, Jianshi

The Atayal Legend of Malike Bay Stream: The Atayal legend is passed down along Malike Bay Stream. The Atayal people, who reside in the Tamsui River basin, originally came from "Ruiyan She" (Fuxing Village, Ren'ai Township) by the Zhuoshui River in Nantou. By the Ruiyan She stream, there is a five-meter-tall boulder called "Binsibugan." The Atayal believe their ancestors were born from the splitting of this giant rock. After dozens of generations, the population grew large, and farmland and hunting grounds became insufficient. The Atayal hero—"Wuta"—decided to explore new territory. Leading a small group of people, he traveled up the Beigang River, entered the Lishan area of the Dajia River basin, then passed through the Siyuan Pass, crossed the Snow Mountain Range’s "Sacred Ridge Line" via Taoshan and Kalayeh, and finally reached the Malike Bay Stream basin.

The Malike Bay Stream basin is a fertile, gently sloping river terrace with a mild climate. The Saisiyat people, who had long lived there, did not reject Wuta and his Atayal tribe. They established the first settlement in the Tamsui River system—“Zhengxibu.” However, later conflicts arose between the two groups over a marriage dispute, as the Saisiyat were unwilling to let a young woman marry outside the tribe. This led to the killing of Wuta’s son. Refusing to accept the insult, Wuta returned to Ruiyan She to seek reinforcements and engaged in fierce battles with the Saisiyat. Eventually, the Atayal people seized control of the Malike Bay Stream basin by force. From then on, Wuta’s descendants began establishing Atayal settlements along both sides of the river terraces—Zhengxibu, Xiuluan, Shilei, Yufeng, Xinguang, Taiyao, Sanguang, and Balin. They later crossed the Lala Mountain and Xuewuna, expanding into the Fushan and Wulai areas of the Nanbeishi River basin. The Atayal influence extended as far as Quchi, nearly reaching the area near Beitou’s Bitan. During the land-reclamation era, Han Chinese presence rarely went beyond Quchi and Guangxing, and they almost never ventured deep into the Wulai mountainous region. As a result, nearly half of northern Taiwan—the Snow Mountain Range—became the domain of the Atayal people.

 

 

●  Extended Reading:

Pingtung Wanjin Christmas Festival: The Popular 3D Light Show at the Holy Shrine

http://goo.gl/lxH1F2