Bunun heritage comes alive on trails of sacred mountain

This article was written by June Tsai and published by the Taiwan Journal on January 4, 2008. It reports that over the years, the highest mountain in Northeast Asia has gone by many names. The indigenous Tsao tribe called it Patunkuanu, or Quartz Mountain. The colonizing Japanese (1895-1945) referred to it as Mount Niitaka, or New High Mountain. For most people in Taiwan and overseas, it is now known as Yushan, or Jade Mountain.

However, for the Bunun tribe, the Taiwanese mountain has a sacred name: Tongku Saveq. In the Bunun language, Tongku Saveq roughly means "the mountain that provides sanctuary for the living". Indeed, the Bunun people have lived in the region for generations and consider Yushan to be at the center of their mythology. According to tribal legends, the origins of Tongku Saveq could be traced back to a time when a huge snake lay across the Zhuoshui River, causing the surrounding land to flood and forcing Bunun ancestors to flee for their lives to the higher ground of Yushan.

Established in 1985, Yushan National Park encompasses an area of 105,000 hectares, including the 3,952-meter-high Yushan and 10 other connected peaks with heights of more than 3,000 meters. For many Taiwanese people, it is a dream to climb to the top of Yushan at least once in their lifetimes.

However, the Son of Yushan trekking company in Taiwan is now offering trekking tours that enable trekkers to transcend themselves. The tour's starting point is at Tataka Anmabu, at an elevation of 2,610 meters. Before the tour begins, the Bunun guide always holds up a cup of millet wine and offers a prayer to the spirits of the mountain: "May the sky bless our footsteps. May our ancestors accept our project and may the elves accompany us on our journey." Every member of the trekking group is then asked to take a sip of wine to honor the moment.

According to this article, it makes sense that the Bunun people are involved in the trekking industry, as they have been living and hunting in the region for generations. However, for many years, tribesmen were not always officially recognized whenever they offered their services, and were never granted mountain-guide licenses. This unfair treatment resulted in protests that culminated in a training program being set up over six years ago by Yohani Isqaqavut, a tribal pastor who served as head of Taiwan's Council of Indigenous Peoples between 2000 and 2001. Inspired by Yohani Isqaqavut to help return a sense of dignity to the Bunun tribe, the Son of Yushan trekking company was established in 2004.

From Tataka Anmabu, after a five-kilometer hike, the trekking group stops at a little wooden pavilion that provides a view of the White Wood Forest. As the original forest have been consumed by fires long ago, all that remained are dead, skeletal trees that have turned white with the passage of time

According to the trekking company, It was the aborigines who had brought the big logs to the pavilion when it was being constructed, because mountain people in Taiwan have always been respected for their ability to use traditional methods to carry heavy loads. For example, a Bunan man can carry up to 100 kilograms by using a headstrap.

However, despite such a proud reputation, not so many people associate Yushan with the Bunun these days. Some of the Bunun people have even forgotten that Yushan is their traditional territory. It is the hope of the Son of Yushan trekking company that the Bunun people can be reminded of their heritage. The company's other goals are to teach non-aborigines more about the connection between Yushan and the Bunun, to explore that implication concerning Taiwan's multicultural society, and to share the tribe's know-how with other interested parties.

Accessing Bunun legends is another method the company uses to achieve its goals. At every rest spot along the trail, the trekkers are told a fresh story, which help imbue the landscape with a colorful personality. A book of tales that the company has adapted from Bunun mythology is also in the pipeline.

Following the good example of the Son of Yushan trekking company, a similar operation is being planned in Smangus, a village in a remote area of Hsinchu County.

The Atayal tribe in Smangus is reputed for practicing a communal form of governance. The first paved road to the village was only built in 1995, and ever since then, the villagers have had to stand firm against development conglomerates. In 2004, the village council decided to attract local and international visitors by opening restaurants and lodges, maintaining existing trails, offering hiking facilities and taking care of an ancient cypress forest that grows in their territory. Any financial gain from the tourist industry is shared among the villagers.

"Changing from a life dependent on game to one reliant on tourism was a big challenge for our village. There were a lot of difficulties in the process, yet it was important for us to have more contact with the outside world," village representatives said. "We should make good use of our knowledge of the area and not lose our connection with it. We used to hunt wild hogs or flying squirrels, but now we hunt tourists and mountaineers," they joked.

The Son of Yushan trekking group finally reaches Paiyun Lodge, which is 8.5 kilometers away from the beginning of the trailhead, at an altitude of 3,402 meters. The lodge is the only accommodation on the trail and where the trekkers spend the night, before they are woken up at 3 a.m. for the final 2.4-kilometer trek to the summit. At the summit, the trekkers get to witness the sun emerging from the twilight. The surrounding mountains to the northeast suddenly catch aflame in a glow of warmth, while the shadowed side of the peak still shivers in darkness.

From the summit, the trekkers can see Wanxiang Village that is on a plateau 1,000 meters above sea level in Nantou County. According to the Son of Yushan trekking company, the Bunun people were forced to relocate from the Central Mountains by the Japanese, finally choosing to settle in Wanxiang in the 1930s. The villagers chose to live there because they would always be able to see the sacred mountain when they opened their doors

Finally, the trekkers get to take a photo around a stone plaque that read "Mt. Jade Main Peak". They also have the chance to pose in front of a homemade banner that said: "This mountain is called Tongku Saveq." It is hoped that the ancient name will remain in people's minds. In the words of the trekking group's Bunun guide: "We want to share the cultural background of the name with everybody. And I think [our informative tours] are positive ways to build harmonious relationships among people of different ethnicities."