The house of Zingrur, chief of Kaviyangan (Jiaping) Village in Pingtung County’s Taiwu Township, has ancestral house-posts carved with distinctive local totems. One of them, called a muakaikai, has images of female family ancestors carved on all four sides. As well as having six fingers on each hand, the carved figures have eyes on their knees. National Taiwan University has applied for this house-post to be listed as a national treasure and, following a review, the listing may be announced as early as the end of this month, making it the second ancestral post from Kaviyangan to be thus listed.
The muakaikai ancestral house-post is about 170cm tall. The human images are shown holding their hands up at chest level, and there are six fingers on the left and right hands. Multiple ring patterns on the wrists, arms and calves are a symbol of the local nobility. In addition, there are round, eye-like patterns on the knees. As to when the post was carved, it can no longer be known for sure.
The muakaikai ancestral house-post is a typical Kaviyangan-style carving, and the eyes on the knees and six-fingered hands stem from Paiwan myths and legends. This house-post was purchased in 1931 by the Japanese-era Taihoku Imperial University — today’s National Taiwan University (NTU) — for use as teaching material. According to research by the late Japanese architect Suketaro Chijiiwa, the muakaikai post is the only existing ancestral house-post in Taiwan that is carved on all four sides.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者邱芷柔
Adrucangalj Taluviljav, head of the social affairs section of Taiwu Township Office, says that a village meeting was held in Kaviyangan Village on March 2. Some people said they were worried that the wooden carving was becoming badly eroded and decayed. People at the meeting agreed that the ancestral pole could be listed as a national treasure and preserved forever. Members of the tribe think that if the muakaikai post is indeed listed as a national treasure, it should be treated as if it were a daughter of the village. They would like NTU to follow tradition by offering betrothal gifts such as earthenware jars and glazed beads, so that the muakaikai post can be “married off” in respectable fashion.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Julian Clegg)
屏東泰武鄉佳平部落大頭目金果祿（Zingrur）家屋的祖靈柱，雕有當地特殊圖騰，其中一根四面雕刻的祖靈柱，雕出家屋女祖先Muakaikai人像，該雕像不僅有六根手指頭，甚至在膝蓋上長有眼睛，該柱由台灣大學提出申請，最快將於月底通過審議，成為佳平部落第二支被列為國寶的祖靈柱。
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者邱芷柔
Muakaikai祖靈柱高約一百七十公分，人像雙手平舉於胸前，左、右手各有六根手指頭，手腕、手臂和小腿處有多圈紋飾，是當地貴族象徵，膝關節處還雕有眼睛般的圈形紋，究竟何時雕刻已經不可考。
Muakaikai祖靈柱是典型的「佳平式」雕刻，膝蓋有眼睛、六根手指頭都源排灣族的神話故事，該柱在民國二十年被日治時代的台北帝國大學（現在的台灣大學）買下當教材，根據已故日本建築師千千岩助太郎的研究，Muakaikai是目前所知台灣僅存的四面雕刻祖靈柱。
泰武鄉公所社會課長莊德才說，佳平三月二日召開部落會議，族人因擔心木雕風化、腐蝕嚴重，而有共識希望祖靈柱能被列為國寶，永久保存下去，族人認為Muakaikai被指定為國寶後，就像部落嫁女兒一樣，希望台大能循古禮，以陶甕、琉璃珠等聘禮下聘，讓部落將Muakaikai祖靈柱風光出嫁。（自由時報記者邱芷柔）
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