The Cloud Tribe Becomes a Disaster Zone: Treasures of the Rukai Tribe Chief Emerge in Taipei

By MOOK Travel Life Network, Li Xinyi

The arrival of the cloud era represents the rapid advancement of technology; the existence of the Cloud Tribe, however, symbolizes the millennia-old heritage of Taiwan’s indigenous culture. You may have experienced the digital cloud—what about the Cloud Tribe? The Awi 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 Rukai social system and ceremonial rituals, coexisting peacefully with the natural environment and ecological species through conservation efforts. In 2009, Typhoon Morakot brought torrential rains that devastated Rukai communities, with Awi suffering some of the worst damage. The tribe has since relocated from its ancestral lands, but the chief’s artifacts from the Cloud Tribe have now come to Taipei. To experience the Cloud Tribe firsthand, visit the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, which is currently hosting the “Special Exhibition of Artifacts from the Chief of the Western Rukai Awi Tribe” until January 5, 2013.

The history of the Awi Tribe dates back 800 years or even over a millennium, as an ancient Rukai settlement. Its chief’s slate house is a traditional structure, approximately 300 years old, serving multiple functions: a cultural education center, a gathering place for tribal meetings, a venue for ceremonial activities, a site for resolving disputes, a support station for the vulnerable, a repository for ancient artifacts, and even an ecological tour guide spot. This highlights the pivotal role of the chief’s house in cultural continuity, mutual aid, and creative industries.

The chief’s traditional slate house currently houses around a hundred ancient artifacts, including: traditional hunter tools, ceremonial attire for various festivals, jewelry worn by men and women, pottery jars, ancient glassware, animal bones, farming tools, shamanic ritual vessels, and relics from the Dutch and Japanese colonial periods. These items comprehensively document the historical trajectory of 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 over the past century. These artifacts hold significant research value not only in Taiwan but also internationally. Through documentaries and exhibitions, the mysterious veil of these ancestral artifacts has been lifted. The precious pottery jars, previously kept in the chief’s house, are making their first trip outside the ancestral tribe to Taipei.

● Read more: Sky Adventure (Part 1) / Journey to the Hometown of the Mikado Pheasant, the Baya’bu Tribe

http://goo.gl/w9YU0