`Princess Bannen' not just a myth to the Rukai

An elder of the Rukai tribe speaks at the Legislative Yuan yesterday to explain the myth of Princess Bannen -- or Limuasa as she is known by the Rukai -- that has been turned into both a computer game and a pop song. PHOTO: CNA

Descendents of "Princess Bannen" of the Rukai tribe yesterday called the popular myth about the princess an unauthorized rewriting of a true story in the tribe's history.

Dozens of Rukai tribesmen joined the protest at a press conference held at the legislature yesterday.

In recent years, the myth of Princess Bannen has not only been used in a computer game, but also turned into a pop song.

One of the popularized versions of the Princess Bannen story recounts how a beautiful Rukai princess named Bannen fell in love with Prince Hundred-Pacer Snake and wanted to marry him.

Bannen's parents were angry since they didn't want their daughter to marry a snake. However, they couldn't directly refuse the marriage for fear of angering their ancestral spirits, because Rukai people believed themselves to be descendents of the hundred-pacer snake.

Therefore, Bannen's parents listed several difficult tasks for the prince to complete before granting their permission for the marriage.

"No one consulted us when they rewrote the story, which was disrespectful."

Lakuduvia Muni, a 13th-generation descendent of the Limuasa family

The prince completed them all successfully. On the wedding day, Bannen followed the hundred-pacer snake into the sacred Talopalin Lake and was never seen again.

For the Rukai tribesmen and Bannen's descendents, the love story element is completely an outside creation.

"The real name of Princess Bannen was Limuasa. The real story was that Limuasa fell in love with a man from another tribe -- which was unacceptable for the Rukai at the time," said Dale Vag, an Amis man who married a descendent of Limuasa.

"The story happened about 260 years ago, and for the Rukais at the time, marriage with someone from another tribe was shameful," said Lakuduvia Muni, a 13th-generation descendent from Limuasa's family.

To agree to the marriage, Limuasa's parents posed several challenges to the man.

After he had completed all the challenges, permission to marry was granted, Muni said.

As agreed, the man married Limuasa. But since Limuasa felt guilty toward her parents, the couple committed suicide a few days later by the Talopalin Lake, Muni said.

"No one consulted us when they rewrote the story, which was disrespectful," Muni said. "I'd like to ask the government to help preserve tribal culture -- which includes our right to tell the story."

At a separate venue, Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod said he supported Muni's request.

He also said that the council has drafted a bill specifically aimed at protecting traditional and original Aboriginal stories and music.

The bill is currently in the legislative backlog, Icyang added.