Taiwan Indigenous News
Tuesday, 25 October 2005
Female head of the national park system seeks to improve parks
... She said she could sense the wisdom of the mountain forests as passed down throughout the ages by Taiwan's indigenous peoples. The ...
Hsieh reveals moves to help indigenous students
... crystal display television to the students at an elementary school in Taitung County and announced more measures to help Taiwan's indigenous children secure ...
Tribe wants official recognition
... "Taiwan's indigenous tribes are all unique minorities in this country, but we are all the original residents of the island. Every ...
In terms of style and technique, the Paiwan tribe’s traditional songs and ballads can be categorized as follows:
The content of Paiwan songs and ballads ranges from romantic expression of emotions to nostalgia for ancient times, but the lyrics tend to revel in subtle understatement and deceptively simple metaphors. In the early days, a man who wanted to woo the girl of his heart had to express his intentions by singing in front of the girl’s parents, relatives and friends. The Paiwan feel that a well-bred young man should be modest and polite, without the slightest trace of arrogance or conceit. These were the qualities that one expected to come across in the young man’s vocal performance. There were no fixed lyrics, so the suitor was free to improvise, but it was expected that the feelings of love and admiration were expressed in a delicate and symbolic fashion.
What follows is a short analysis of the connection between song and music on the one hand, and the Paiwans’ emotional world and wedding ceremonies on the other.
Many of the Paiwan songs and ballads are chanted at traditional weddings. The Paiwan generally place much emphasis on dance and song during rites and ceremonies, and weddings are no exception. All the members of the tribe, the men and the women, the young and the old, are required to participate and put their bodies and souls into the singing and dancing, which is a way of expressing their good wishes and blessings for the couple. In the night of the wedding day, a special dance is held for the unmarried men and women, an event that is observed with much interest by the parents of the participants. After midnight in the bride’s home, the senior members of her family will sit in a circle around the bride and sing a long and very touching song called “The Ballad of Blessing”. This song is performed repeatedly and with much fervor until the break of day, and it is customary for both the singers and the bride to cry profusely the whole time.