A repair crew in Nantou County found a crack in the concrete sealer of Sediq chieftain Mona Rudao’s tomb after one of Mona’s descendants dreamed that ancestral spirits complained about a drafty grave, the Renai Township (仁愛) office said on Wednesday.
Chang Kuo-hua (張國華), a descendant of the chieftain, said his mother had repeatedly dreamed over the past couple of years that ancestral spirits were protesting that their resting place had become “cold and damp,” Renai Civil Affairs Division head Hsi Chien-mei (席倩梅) said, adding that the township ordered the tomb to be opened, to offer comfort to Mona’s descendants, only to find that the outer casing did have a crack.
The crew said the crack was patched up and the crypt cleared of excess moisture, but that an upcoming ceremony did not leave time for in-depth repairs.
Photo: Tung Chen-kuo, Taipei Times
This year marks the 89th anniversary of the Wushe Incident and the township plans to commemorate it with a ceremony in the traditional Sediq style to honor Mona and others who perished fighting the Japanese in 1930, the township said.
The Wushe Incident was when Mona led Seediq community members in an uprising against Japanese forces occupying Wushe.
The tomb was erected in 1974, but like other facilities in the Wushe Incident Memorial Park, it is in need of repairs, the township said, adding that preliminary repairs to the park could cost up to NT$900,000, with additional costs easily being incurred in the process.
The township said it has hoped that, out of respect for Mona’s descendants and due to the park being an important memorial to Sediq history and culture, the central government and county government would subsidize the renovations.
Folklore specialist and feng shui master Liao Ta-yi (廖大乙) said that the damaged crypt prompted the ancestors to make their discomfort known via dreams.
This is quite common in folk beliefs, Liao said, adding that as long as the ancestors’ discomfort had been resolved, the descendants should not be worried.
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