Dance with the warriors in Zhiben during the peak of the Kadipul Harvest Festival

By Li Xinyi | Compiled & Reported

Indigenous communities across Taitung County are currently holding their Harvest Festivals, and the Paiwan “Kadipul Tribe” of the Puyuma people in Zhiben will hold their millet harvest celebration from today until the 18th. Events include a marathon-style physical competition today (the 14th) and an afternoon wrestling event similar to Japan’s sumo wrestling. On the afternoons of the 15th and 16th, the tribe’s youth will perform the Puyuma people’s most unique warrior dance through the streets to pray for blessings for their fellow villagers and clanspeople. There will also be song and dance celebrations in the evening.

The next three days mark the highlight of the entire millet harvest festival. Starting at 2pm tomorrow (the 15th), the tribe’s youth, bare-chested and wearing traditional attire, will parade through the streets and every household of the village carrying towels or leaves, following the beat of a ceremonial gong. This dance is unique among the eight Puyuma communities, offering both a spectacular and powerful display of beauty and strength. In the evening, there will be traditional song and dance where visitors can join in. On the afternoon of the 16th from 2pm to 7pm, there will be a street performance of the Warrior Spirit Dance along Zhiben Hot Spring Street, where the dancers will also interact with visitors.

Additionally, other Puyuma tribes will hold their Harvest Festivals on the following dates: July 16 at the Likia Tribal Community Center; the Nanwang Puyuma Tribe’s Sea Ceremony; the Chulu Tribe’s Balaguan; and the Xiaibinlang Tribe (at the Puyuma Travel Service Center of the Southern Branch of the Tourism Bureau); July 17 at the Tai’an Dabaliuqiu Tribe and Jianhe Kasavakan Tribe; July 23 at the Baosang Bubuluo Tribe; and July 24 at the Alipei Tribe.