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.
PHOTO: CNA
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.
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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or