Held during the full moon in the 10th lunar month, the paSta’ay rite consists of a three-day singing and dancing ceremony. For the ritual, men and women wearing kilakil and tapangasan, a clan symbol and traditional bell, respectively, move in and out of a large circle of their fellow tribespeople from sundown to sunrise.
The ceremony was recognized as a national folk custom by the Ministry of Culture in 2013. At this year’s rite at Xiangtian Lake in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County, Hung formally presented certificates denoting the ritual’s status to representatives of the Northern and Southern Saisiyat from Wufeng Village in Hsinchu County and Miaoli’s Nanjuang Village.
“Among Taiwan’s 17 nationally recognized folk customs, the Saisiyat rite was the first spanning two counties, which showcases the deep bonds among this indigenous group,” Hung said.
“I also believe the recognition of this rite will help promote awareness of the diversity of aboriginal cultures and create greater understanding among our young people of the rich heritage of the Saisiyat.”
Although Saisiyat people have been deeply influenced by Han culture and that of the nearby Atayal indigenous tribe, they still retain many of their unique customs, including the paSta’ay ritual.
The tribe’s population totals more than 6,000, according to the latest statistics from the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples, while its language is considered critically endangered by UNESCO.
A unique feature of paSta’ay lies in it being a ceremony not for harvest but for reconciliation.
According to legend, the Saisiyat long ago massacred a neighboring pygmy people called the Ta’ay. To appease the spirits of the deceased, the tribe expiates its sins and pays tribute to the pygmies via paSta’ay. (YCH-CM)
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