|
:::
|
|
In time immemorial, a man named Botoc and a woman named Sabak came out from the ground; they wedded and had a boy child named Botong. Another woman named Sayan (allegedly the ancestor of Sakizaya) brought a container to a well for water. A man appeared from the well and proposed to her. The man was Botong, who later became Sayan’s husband.
However, Botong was so obsessed with the making of gyro and left farmland unattended. After the gyro was finally completed, Botong brought the Gyro to the farmland and spun the gyro. Less than one moment, the farmland development was completed. Since then Botong began to teach his people about the techniques of farming and etiquette of ritual ceremonies. He was therefore regarded as the “God of Wisdom”.
After three years, Botong wanted to go home in the heaven that was only accessible by climbing a ladder. His wife, Sayan, already pregnant, wanted to follow. He told her never make a sound when climbing the ladder. The two kept climbing and climbing; the moment they were about to reach heaven, Sayan sighed out of fatigue. The ladder suddenly broke apart and she fell to the ground. From her broken belly, animals like deer, pig, and snake came out.
Bay Robas had a daughter named Cisilingan who was red all over her body. Sea god was attracted by her beauty, but his proposal was rejected; thus he caused a seaquake. People in the tribe went to Bay Robas for help. When she put her daughter in a case on the sea reluctantly, the sea became red immediately and the seaquake then receded away slowly.
Bay Robas used the pontil as a cane, searching for her daughter by the direction of the floating case. She could not find her daughter until she got to Maketaay, Siouguluan River; therefore, she dropped her cane and yelled to sea god “the cane is the boundary which sea water cannot pass through.” This is how the borderline of sea and land is formed.
Sacrifice to Balama (God of Fire)
Sacrifice to Balama is different than the traditional harvest festival; it is a requiem ceremony in which Sakizayans pay their respect to their ancestors and experience the ordeal their ancestors had been through. After the ceremony, a cremation ceremony followed. A great flower coffin for the God of Fire is set on fire while Sakizayans pray that the soul of the God of Fire may bath in the fire and become reborn again together with the deceased Sakizayans
Disease
If any member of the family is sick, visitors can only come in after the sick person throws a red and hot wood coal to the door (implies driving off the illness, filth, and cleanse). The sick person also needs to hold the red and hot wood coal when going out and is not allowed to stay outside the house too long or travel far. Visitors who have eaten rammish meat such as lambs, rats or grasshoppers are not permitted to visit the sick.
Birth
When a woman is delivering a baby before the umbilical cord comes off, she cannot cross rivers or wash clothes outside the house. The umbilical cord is placed in a wood case to decay. There will be a storm if women deliver babies outside.
Men cannot mention anything about sisters of each other’s when chatting. If someone talks about it, he breaks the rule (Pasniq) and the person who is insulted will normally start a fight to show his indignity. Otherwise, the one who insults the other needs to kill animals to drive off the disaster.
Furthermore, the winter was cold in high mountains. Therefore, when warming up near fire, women must close their legs so as not to bare their underwear.
Sakizaya people call spirits dito, corresponding to kawas in Ami tribe. They believe that every object in nature has its spirit, and supernatural powers exist everywhere. Ancestor spirits are also included in dito; the only different thing is that no one can estimate the actual place of ancestor spirits, and Mapalaway (priest) is the only one person who can communicate with them. Spirits also have influences on lives and deaths. The spirits live in the body and people are born; women are pregnant because of the existence of spirits. The phantom of a person lives in the body, and departs from it after death. In addition to the spirits mentioned above, there are still some gods in Sakizaya tribe such as Malataw‧Otoki—ancestor spirit in the world of mortals, Olipong—god who drives off infectious diseases, and Talaman and Takomawan—gods of poverty.
Dito is the spirit of death. After people died, their soul will pass through the cavern of Milun Mountain (today’s Meilun Mountain), heading to the east and flying toward the sea. All ancestor spirits will cross Milun Mountain from the sea to the place where ceremonies are held. They are usually in the form of red clothes, being seen by no one but mapalaway. (quoted from the website of Council of Indigenous Peoples, written by Chen, Jyun-Nan).
|
|
|
::: |
