A traditional Sediq dwelling is being rebuilt in Nantou County’s Mahebo village (馬赫坡), the community that chieftain and anti-colonial revolutionary Mona Rudao hailed from, sources said.
Mona Rudao in October 1930 led the Sediq and four other Aboriginal communities in a rebellion against Japanese rule in a war known as the Wushe Incident (霧社). Two months later, the Japanese military defeated Mona Rudao, who committed suicide. The surviving Sediq were forced to relocate, leaving Mahebo abandoned.
The Association for Mahebo Culture and Tourism said it earlier last month initiated a project to rebuild an authentic Sediq house in Mahebo with period-correct materials and techniques that were described in historical sources.
Photo: courtesy of the Association for Mahebo Culture and Tourism
The completed building is to be used as a communal hall for meetings and religious ceremonies, with an accompanying permanent exhibit on the history of the Wushe Incident, it said.
Mona Rudao’s last stand during the rebellion took place at Mahebo, making it a site of deep historical meaning to the Sediq people, the association said.
The reconstructed house is to become the first port of call for Mahebo’s visitors and serve as an example of traditional Sediq structures, the association said.
Photo: courtesy of Nanfeng Community Development Association chairman Awi Sap
One of the most notable features of the reconstructed house is its interior, which is recessed 2m into the ground and is protected by stone-and-masonry walls, it said.
The characteristics of traditional houses emphasized both comfort for their residents and defensive strength as strongholds, it said.
Two local men named Wang Chia-hsun (王嘉勳) and Shen Ming-jen (沈明仁), who have experience in building traditional Sediq dwellings, are involved in overseeing the project, it said.
To find workers for the project, the association relied on volunteers that it recruited on the Internet, who would work in exchange for lodging and the experience of life in an Aboriginal community.
While most volunteers are themselves Aborigines, a number of college students have participated in the project as a summer holiday activity, the association said.
Volunteers at the site said they were happy to participate in a project that helps preserve the cultural heritage of the Sediq people.
They have also learned a lot about Mahebo’s history and traditions, they said.
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