By / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department compiled report
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) announced the 2016 Global List of Watched Cultural Heritage Sites on the 15th. The slate houses of the old Hoga Tea settlement of the Rukai people in Pingtung, which were selected this time, are Taiwan’s second cultural heritage site to be included, following the Wanshan Village (Huazhai) in Magong, Penghu in 2004.
Slate houses of the old Hoga Tea settlement in Pingtung selected for the Global List of Watched Cultural Heritage Sites. (Image source / Pingtung County Government)
The selected Rukai slate houses are located in the old Hoga Tea community at the foot of Beidawushan Mountain in northeastern Pingtung. “Hoga” was originally called Kucapungane, the birthplace of the Rukai people, said to have a history of over 600 years, with an elevation of about 1,000 meters above sea level.
This former settlement carries an ancient legend. It is said that the ancestral leader of the Rukai people, Puraruyan, who lived in Taitung, came to Wutou Mountain to hunt with a clouded leopard. After drinking the sweet mountain spring water near the waterfall at Kucapungane and being reluctant to leave, he deemed the place suitable for habitation. He then returned to Taitung to lead his people across the Central Mountain Range to settle in Kochapongan, hence the area became known as the “homeland of the clouded leopard.” The Rukai people in this region also refer to themselves as the “descendants of the clouded leopard,” not only revering the clouded leopard as a sacred animal but also establishing a custom that forbids hunting them.
The “swing ceremony” performed during the weddings of Paiwan chiefs and nobility. (Image provided / Maolin National Scenic Area Administration)
Due to factors such as the intervention of Japanese and Kuomintang government forces and population outflow, the Rukai people later relocated from the old Hoga Tea settlement. At present, the slate houses in the old Hoga Tea settlement are dilapidated due to age, and typhoons often cause damage to the buildings. Nevertheless, 163 houses remain relatively well-preserved. In the past, the Rukai people developed a complete tribal living area in the old Hoga Tea settlement, with over 100 settlement buildings built along the mountain slopes, as well as a central residence that has been passed down through more than 20 generations of tribal chiefs. The area also features unique architectural craftsmanship and traditions of slate house construction, with some slate stacks reaching up to 5 feet high, holding significant historical, cultural, and artistic preservation value.
It is customary in Paiwan weddings for the groom to carry the bride around the venue once. (Image provided / Maolin National Scenic Area Administration)
Headquartered in New York, USA, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) is one of the earliest international non-profit organizations dedicated to the protection of world heritage and architectural culture. It enjoys a high level of credibility and is an important partner of UNESCO. WMF publishes a “World Monuments Watch” list every two years, calling on governments and civil society worldwide to identify and protect important cultural heritage sites in need.
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