Experiencing the Sacred Amis Tribe Harvest Festival
Originally written for Centered on Taipei Magazine, October 2020 edition
Taken at Hualien Joint Indigenous Harvest Festival on August 21-23, 2020
“Maola kako kisuwanan!” cheers the crowd in Amis (阿美語), the native Formosan language of the Amis tribe distributed among the eastern coast of Taiwan from Hualien to Taitung. This phrase means “I like you” and is the crowd’s first introduction to the tribe’s rich culture at the Joint Indigenous Harvest Festival held from August 21-23, 2020 in Hualien. The festival plays an important part in cultural preservation as many young tribe members leave their communities to live and work in larger cities. Although the Hualien Joint Indigenous Harvest Festival differs in format from an individual tribe’s traditional harvest festival (豐年祭), it is still an invaluable way for visitors to learn more about Taiwan’s indigenous culture while enjoying local flavors, supporting indigenous artisans and celebrating the new season with meaningful song and dance.
Out of Taiwan’s 16 indigenous tribes, the Amis tribe (阿美族) is the most populous with about 213,514 people as of January 2020 (Council of Indigenous Peoples). Of the over 200,000 tribal members, less than 10,000 consider Amis to be their first language. In the Amis language, Amis means “north” and members refer to themselves as “Pangcah” meaning people or kinsmen. The origin stories of the Pangcah people can be distinguished in part by geographic location: the northern Amis believe they are descendants of deities and the southern Amis believe their ancestor was born from stone.
During the summer months each year between July and August, Amis tribes come together for one of the most important festivals to celebrate their abundant harvest for the year and to thank ancestors for their blessings on the tribe. Amis tribe historically has held their harvest festival after the conclusion of millet season, but as rice has replaced millet as the staple grain, the festival has been pushed back in recent years in accordance with the rice harvest season. There are two separate origin stories of the festival in Hualien. The first tells of destruction of the tribe’s crops and the successive steps to transform the souls of enemies into spirits that they could pray to for successful harvests. The second describes the festival as a homecoming celebration for the young men who protected the crops year-round, a joyous occasion where sacrifices would be offered to ancestral spirits.
The harvest festival is a sacred and holy event, and holds incredible importance for the tribe beyond thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest. It is also an important time for families to reunite, to connect to gods and ancestors, and to unite the village. The festival has three different stages: welcoming spirits, hosting a feast for the spirits to enjoy, and finally, sending the spirits off. Traditionally, welcoming the spirits may only be done by the male tribe members and sending the spirits off may only be done by female tribe members. In recent years, gender restrictions have been lifted. However, the Amis society is considered matrilineal with women being the head of the household and children taking the mother’s surname. Once a man marries into a household, they are considered a son of the wife’s family and moves into their household. Women usually handle household affairs, while men handle the public affairs of the tribe based on age.
Kao Hui-Ju 高慧如 of the Makala (真柄) Makerahay Amis Tribe in Taitung says: “The process of holding the harvest festival reflects how the Amis society is working. It presents the core values of the tribe, telling us how to respect Animism, elders, and how to help others. As for me, the harvest festival is the best way to learn about Amis traditional culture, and to understand the importance of our indigenous self-identity.
The most important and the best part of holding the festival is about teamwork. Every age group will be assigned work and has their own duties, like fishing, preparing ingredients, cooking, and cleaning. I enjoy preparing ingredients, because the elder women will teach me about the tribe’s traditional food and vegetables… It’s also a good way to learn more about my tribe’s natural environment and to help me to respect it more.”
Harvest festival dances are also usually based on the age group system, with formations beginning with the oldest members and ending with the youngest ones, which also indicates the societal ranking of Amis males. Women usually move in a counterclockwise direction, while men move clockwise. Younger members are also given the chance to search for their partner in marriage during this time. Males wear a bag over their shoulder, called an “alufu” (阿魯富) or lover’s bag. Single women of the village will place a betel nut into the alufu bag of the man they admire, and the man will accept the gift if the interest is mutual. This bag is also considered a protective talisman and may carry important, small objects on a regular basis.
Amis tribe members don beautiful, colorful clothing that represents the region they come from during the festival. The colors woven throughout their costumes are chosen to represent their inseparable relationship with the environment and natural resources. The vibrant red color and tassels are more commonly associated with Hualien Amis, while Taitung Amis often choose black, white and peach colors and colorful pants. Red may also represent the sun and the tribe’s matrilineal society. Each age group wears different styles of headdresses, while the village chiefs wear ornate, feathered headwear symbolizing leadership and wisdom.
The Amis people believe that how they live in this life will impact their afterlife – if they experience joy while singing and dancing during this life, they will experience a similar joy in the next. Singing and dancing well can lead the village to experience a bountiful harvest and favorable weather in the upcoming year. Shouting at the end of a song symbolizes the group’s unity and the community spirit of the entire tribe. Besides aesthetic enjoyment and emotional expression, the purpose of music among the tribal community is also a means to carry on cultural traditions and to signify solidarity between members. It is also offered up to deities and ancestors to celebrate joyous occasions and to mark the beginning of a new one in the afterlife.
In order to prepare for the harvest festival
All age groups of the tribe often gather
To discuss the preparation of the harvest festival together
The venue layout and work assignments are distributed before the festival
Harvest Festival
Is a time to celebrate the harvest
To thank God for His favor
So that we can have good weather
Have a good land and a healthy body
So we can come to farm
We are very content with what we have
We are also a very hospitable ethnic group
But because of the cultural heritage of each tribe
There may be some differences influenced by foreign culture
And tourists have different experiences that they come into contact with
But as long as you maintain a friendly and respectful attitude
We are still willing
To share our culture
Poem written by Yang Shaoen 楊邵恩 of the Fengbin Village Amis Tribe in Hualien 花蓮豐濱豐富村
