Tomorrow, the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines (順益台灣原住民博物
館) will open the doors on the first-ever exhibition capturing the
traditions and ceremonies of the rapidly disappearing Saisiyat (賽夏族)
tribe. The Saisiyat are one of Taiwan's nine Aboriginal tribes, and are
endemic to northern Taiwan, particularly the mountainous regions of
Hsinchu and Miaoli counties. At present, there are only about 6,000
Saisiyat remaining in Taiwan.
The exhibition will include more than 80 artifacts and ceremonial
objects from early Saisiyat life, including ceremonial headdresses,
knots used to ward off evil spirits, bells worn as part of costumes and
other articles of dress and religion. These display objects will be used
to address the central theme of the exhibition, namely the tribe's rites
and ceremonies. Chief among these is the Pas-ta Ai (矮人祭), which is
celebrated twice a year, at planting time and on the first full moon
after the harvest. There will also be relics of the snake's tail
ceremony, a ritual of supplication to the snake spirit, Sorou, generally
invoked during times of extended summer rains or in order to cure
illness. The ritual draws its supernatural effects from the ash of
snakes' bones.
The Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines is located in Shihlin at 282
Chihshan Rd., Sec. 2 (士林區至善路二段282號). The exhibition runs
through Jan. 19
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