Mountains and the Ocean

by | Apr 4, 2019 | pair scribes

Walis Nokan, “Atayal”

The Atayal tribe lived by the Taroko Gorge mentioned in the heading of the section 1 of the poem. This poem is rich with symbolism and imagery. The sun rises over the Pacific Ocean, but the sun also symbolizes the arrival of the Japanese, as it is their national flag. Throughout the poem, millet symbolizes the indigenous people who were overcome by the Japanese, as millet was once widespread and the staple crop of the island. Salt is also mentioned in one of the sections, where it can be seen both as something valuable but also as tears that signify great loss. Walis Nokan describes how “the guns that had lost their gun barrels could no longer chase the glory of the men in the tribe”, and the young men no longer receive tattoos that show they are warriors, so when they die they won’t be recognized as warriors and able to cross the rainbow bridge. General Sakuma Samata led campaigns to suppress indigenous tribes in Taiwan, including the Atayal people. Through his efforts many people suffered, and they have a feeling of losing the glory and honor that would be shown on their bodies through tattoos. He calls the arrow of history slow and unseen, which goes against how we would usually picture an arrow moving; however, the enemy troops move continually and do damage just as an arrow does. Finally, Walis Nokan lists the names of the people that have been persecuted by the Japanese and that the Japanese are trying to erase.

Zhong Lihe, “My Grandma from the Mountains”

Differing Cultures

ZHONG Lihe’s novella “My Grandma from the Mountains”  paints a picture of differing cultures in Taiwan each with its own distinct cultural identity. In the story, the little boy’s grandma belongs to the Paiwan aboriginal people of south Taiwan. Her community has its own distinct culture which is different from the boy’s and his blood relatives who are Hakka Chinese. In their culture, they use Gari–their Hakka word for aboriginal. This use of a singular word to identify many different aboriginal communities and aboriginal cultures highlights the othering that occurs. The boy’s grandma is aware of this othering of aboriginal communities in the story as when she tells the story of the baby being abandoned she does not describe the abandoner as a “Gari”, but she uses Hoklo/Hokkien Chinese. The Grandma always worked hard to not misrepresent her communities cultural identity. Even the visuals that ZHONG Lihe provides of Grandma present parts of the Paiwan culture. Grandma has beautiful tattoos that link her to her people and braided hair that coiled all around her head.


Personal Identity

It is not just a culture that defines people. In the story, we see that it is also their own humanness and personal identity that contributes to who they are. This happens when the young boy and Grandma travel into the mountains. Usually, Grandma is very composed and calm, which is a comforting presence to her grandson. However, in the mountains, Grandma begins to sing and the boy feels confusion and fear. This is not the grandma he knows. Grandma has been transported out of her familial role through the mountains and her singing to her own personal bubble. She becomes her full human self while she is doing something she loves in her own little bubble. She steps outside of the appearance she has with her family and children.

Family 

In the novella, we see that even with differing identities the young boy and Grandma are family. The relationship they have with one another transcends the cultural othering that can occur between aboriginal communities and other cultures in Taiwan. In the novella, Zhong writes, “Garis don’t understand about years of age, all they know is that when the mangoes are in flower again another year has passed.” The boy begins to realize that the women he sees as Grandma is considered different than he is — is a Gari. When he asks Grandma about it she asks him “Now that you know Grandma’s a Gari, do you still like Grandma?”. The boy, of course, says yes. The young boy has to change his own way of thinking about people in a different culture since this woman that he adores has a different identity than his own. Yet, regardless of cultural his Grandmother and her relatives are still people. His Grandma is still human, and a human who loves him and cares for him. Zhong stresses this point again when his Grandma’s brothers come to town. One of them wears a guba at his waist, but the boy notes that if it wasn’t for that he would not have known he was a Gari. Behind the cultural conflict and different identities, you find everyday humans in their familial roles. 


 

Yang Mu, “Close to Xiuguluan” and “Their World”

In 1944, American planes began to appear over Taiwan for air raids and Yang Mu evacuated his town for the mountains. He frequently mentions the way things smell in his descriptions – “the sight and smell of the little station” (21), “I detected the scent of human brutality” (24), and “the village had another smell about it, and at first I didn’t know how I could stand it. Later, every time I entered an Ami village, I encountered the same smell. At first I didn’t much care for it, but later I became accustomed to it, so much that I eventually found it agreeable” (25), and “Their world was definitely permeated with a unique smell” (27). They live near an Ami village, who plant millet instead of rice. Yang Mu describes all the things that grew nearby and interested him, some of which I’ve provided pictures for below.

 

  • Banana Orchard
  • Papaya tree
  • creeping wood sorrel
  • guava
  • spider brake
  • morning glories
  • canna lilies
  • Formosan acacia
  • Flame Tree
  • Chinese banyan
  • Chinese Fir
  • dwarf elephant’s ear

When Yang Mu is there, he sees the aboriginal people as the plains dwellers and the mountain dwellers, but in actuality they are a “single ancient culture” who’ve been categorized by foreign culture, such as the Dutch who taught the plains dwellers to plant rice and raise water buffalo, and after the Ming and Qing dynasty rule, and through planning by Japanese colonial authorities, these plain dwellers spread across the island. Yang lists 10 tribes:

(Yang doesn’t include Truku, Sakizaya, or Kavalan in his list of tribes although they are on this map)

The Ami people have a flood as part of their creation story, as do many groups throughout the world. Their main crops are millet and glutinous rice, though Yang mentions the many other things they grew, some pictured below:

  • sweet potatoes
  • pigeon peas
  • sugar cane
  • sesame
  • peanuts
  • cassava
  • tobacco
  • ginger
  • taro

The Ami people have many taboos and rituals, such as taboos on who and when people are allowed to hunt, and rituals for praying for rain, harvesting, etc. Although in some ways they have assimilated to colonizing forces, such as many of them becoming Christians, they also still celebrate traditional festivals with singing and traditional outfits.