Ride free of charge！The Bunun Ear-Shooting Festival debuts with guided shuttle service

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, compiled and reported by Li Xinyi

The annual Bunun Ear-Shooting Festival in Yanping Township, Taitung, will take place on May 12 (Saturday) at Yongkang Elementary School. The Bunun people, with their long-standing hunter culture, traditionally have young boys practice shooting deer ears under the guidance of Bunun warriors. The spirit of the festival lies in praying for another year of bountiful harvest. Usually reserved, the Bunun showcase their gifted singing voices during this time. Traditional ceremonies include pre-hunt gun blessings, the Eight-Part Harmony celebrating millet harvest, hunters demonstrating their spoils after the hunt, and drinking songs filled with gratitude and joy. This year, the Yanping Township Office has especially arranged local guides to provide on-site explanations. Next to the ceremony grounds, there is also a series of traditional craft experiences to bring the public closer to Bunun culture.

This year, to offer visitors a deeper experience of Bunun culture, the Yanping Township Office has for the first time organized the two-day “Yanping Connection & Bunun Sentiment Sightseeing Bus” on May 11 (Friday) and May 12 (Saturday), which the public can ride for free. Buses will depart at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM from the Ear-Shooting Festival venue (Yongkang Elementary School), taking participants on a tour to explore the charm of various villages in Yanping Township.

In addition, the township office has prepared a series of “Bunun Culture Classrooms” and “Bunun Traditional Skills” experiences, inviting local elders to guide both children and adults in learning about unique Bunun culture and participating in hands-on activities such as traditional archery, sawing wood, spinning tops, pounding flax | 脚 (possibly miswritten), paper-making DIY, and more. These activities pass on the rich knowledge of the Ear-Shooting Festival rituals and traditional ceremonial plants, giving insight into the wisdom of traditional Bunun life.

Besides fun experiences, the festival also offers the chance to purchase fresh local peaches in season. Participants who sign up for the Ear-Shooting Festival experience activities before the registration deadline of May 9 (Wednesday) and pay a 500 NTD fee will receive a basket of locally grown peaches and local specialty small gifts (total value over 500 NTD) at the festival venue.

Yanping Township Office: www.ttypg.gov.tw

● Read more: Travel with your senses！An immersive, multi-sensory journey through Taitung

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