Taiwan Indigenous News
Friday, 20 February 2009
TB Treatment Delays In Taiwan
It should also be noted that the mortality rate and incidence of TB are much greater in aboriginal communities in Taiwan than in non-aboriginal areas. ...
Taiwan's indigenous population up 2.05 percent
MOI officials said the increase was about six times that of the 0.34 percent rate of growth of Taiwan's overall population. Taiwan's indigenous people were ...
Not the same old song and dance
He aims to present a more authentic picture of Aboriginal performing arts and culture. “I want our customers to see the performances in their most original ...
President pushes to boost tourism in Taiwan's indigenous areas
8 (CNA) Concerned over the development of tourism in Taiwan's indigenous areas, President Ma Ying-jeou asked government agencies Sunday to work with travel ...
The Bununs’ concept of the year is organized around the millet’s growth cycle. Hunting and farming are carried out in accordance with the lunar calendar and natural crop cycles.
The Most Important Festivals of the Bunun Year
| Name of Festival | Time | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Tositosan | Jan/Feb | After the end of the sowing season, the farm tools are collected and ceremonial prayers are said over them before they are put away. |
| Mingulau | March | Weeding of the millet fields. Prayers that the seedlings will grow well for a good harvest. |
| Lapaspas | April | Expelling unclean spirits and disease. Prayers for health and prosperity. |
|
Manah’dangia (Malahadisa) |
April/May | Also known as “Shoot The Ear Festival”, this is the Bununs’ most important festive season. It involves a coming of age ceremony and focuses on hunting. |
| Busaihadam | May | A ceremony to chase away wild birds damaging the millet crop. |
| Minsalala | June/July | A ceremony to mark the beginning of the harvest. |
| Inaohdohaan | July/August | Special necklaces are hung around the necks of newborns and prayers said for their safety and health. |
| Min’hamisan | August/September | Celebrating the millet harvest, welcoming the new year and worshipping the ancestors. |
| Mabilao | October/November | The plots for this year’s crops are picked and marked, and the beginning of a new crop cycle is celebrated. |
| Pasi’naban | September-November | Ceremony to expel evil spirits from the farmland |
| In’pinagan | November/December | Ceremony to tell the ancestors and other important gods of the beginning of the sowing season. |
| Morani’an | November/December | After the main crops have been sown, sweet potatoes (yams) are also planted in some special plots. Aniazan November The sun-dried millet is put into store. |
| Hunting Festival | March/April or September-December | One of the most important festivals, marked mainly by hunting activities. |