摘自：http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?CtNode=122&xItem=25234

Bunun heritage comes alive on trails of sacred mountain

Trekkers experience changing habitats as the trail climbs up the slopes of Yushan Dec. 9, 2007. Standing at 3,952 meters, Yushan is the highest mountain in Taiwan.(Staff photo/June Tsai)

The highest mountain in Northeast Asia has gone by many names over the years. It was once called Patunkuanu, or Quartz Mountain, by the indigenous Tsao tribe, and Mount Niitaka--"the new high mountain"--by the colonizing Japanese. For most people it is now known as Jade Mountain, or Yushan, but 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," explained Negou Soqluman, a guide with the Son of Yushan trekking company. The Bunun people have lived in the region for generations and consider Yushan to be at the center of their mythology, he added Dec. 8, 2007.

The tough-as-teak Bunun told his audience of early-morning trekkers at Tataka Anmabu Dec. 9 that the origins of Tongku Saveq could be traced back to a time when a huge snake lay across the Jhuoshuei River, causing the surrounding land to flood and forcing his ancestors to flee for their lives to the higher ground of Yushan. At an elevation of 2,610 meters, Tataka Anmabu was the starting point for the group's hike into Yushan National Park.

Established in 1985, the 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," Negou Soqluman said. "Yet [the real goal] of our tour today is to transcend ourselves."

Setting the mood for the group's ascent, Negou Soqluman held a cup of millet wine and offered up 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." After a short pause, he continued, "It's okay to have fun with us occasionally, but please don't play serious pranks," he asked the elves, with a twinkle in his eye. Every member of the group took a sip of wine to honor the moment.

Negou Soqluman, 32, has guided groups up to the peak over 60 times, so it was a surprise to discover his first ascent was not until the relatively "mature" age of 28. But that was not so unusual for the people who lived on Yushan. He explained, "Despite living and working in the mountains, nearly 90 percent of the Bunun have never even been to the top." When one spends his daily life in the hills, climbing to the highest point seems a little unnecessary, he elaborated.

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. But, for many years, tribesmen were not always officially recognized whenever they offered their services, and were never granted mountain-guide licenses, according to Negou Soqluman. 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 the Council of Indigenous Peoples between 2000 and 2001. Inspired by Yohani Isqaqavut to help return a sense of dignity to his tribe, Negou Soqluman completed the program and founded Son of Yushan in 2004.

As the trail climbed higher into the national park, the hikers started to pay more attention to coordinating their breathing and walking. Negou Soqluman and Lahuy Icyeh, a young Atayal assistant guide, sang spontaneously to motivate those who felt tired until they got to the next resting spot. Around noon--having covered five kilometers in around four hours--the group reached a little wooden pavilion that provided a view of White Wood Forest. As the original forest had been consumed by fires long ago, all that remained were dead, skeletal trees that had turned white with the passage of time, Negou Soqluman explained.

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, he said. One such example is the Bunun man who used a headstrap to help a dehydrated climber descend Saser Kangri in India. "It was not because he was stronger than anybody else, but because we [the Bunun people] know how to use traditional techniques," he said, adding that a man could carry up to 100 kilograms by using a headstrap.

Despite such a proud reputation, however, not so many people associate Yushan with the Bunun these days. "Some of the Bunun themselves have even forgotten that Yushan is their traditional territory," Negou Soqluman told the group. He went on to express the hope that by setting up Son of Yushan, his tribe could be reminded of their heritage. "The other goals are to teach non-aborigines more about the connection between Yushan and the Bunun, explore that implication concerning Taiwan's multiculturalism and share our know-how with other interested parties," he stated.

Accessing Bunun legends is another method he uses to achieve his objectives. At every rest spot along the trail, the group of trekkers was told a fresh story, which helped imbue the landscape with a colorful personality. A book of tales that Negou Soqluman has adapted from Bunun mythology is also in the pipeline.

Lahuy Icyeh supported Negou Soqluman's approach, saying he joined the tour as an assistant guide to learn how to set up the same kind of operation 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 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," Lahuy Icyeh recounted as the group left the pavilion, moving ever higher. "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," he joked.

It was a few more hours before the group finally reached Paiyun Lodge, which was 8.5 kilometers away from the beginning of the trailhead, at an altitude of 3,402 meters. The lodge was the only accommodation on the trail and where the group spent the night, before it was woken up at the crack of dawn for the final 2.4-kilometer trek to the summit.

At 3 a.m. Dec. 10, only the sound of breathing and people walking could be heard in an enveloping darkness that was occasionally punctuated by shooting stars overhead. After tackling the final few boulders that lay just below the peak, exclamations arouse from the group as it witnessed the sun emerging from the twilight. The surrounding mountains to the northeast suddenly caught aflame in a glow of warmth, while the shadowed side of the peak still shivered in darkness.

Negou Soqluman pointed in the direction of his hometown of Wansiang that was on a plateau 1,000 meters above sea level in Nantou County. He explained how people were forced to relocate from the Central Mountains by the Japanese, finally choosing to settle in Wansiang in the 1930s. The villagers chose to live there because they would always be able to see Tangku Saveq when they opened their doors, he said.

The group gathered to take a photo around a stone plaque that read "Mt. Jade Main Peak." However, they also posed in front of a homemade banner that said: "This mountain is called Tongku Saveq." Being aware of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's name-change campaign, Negou Soqluman proposed to the group that Yushan be renamed. He stopped short of saying the idea should became an official government policy, instead suggesting the name would more likely be changed in people's minds by such things as his writings on aboriginal culture and his informative tours. "We want to share the cultural background of the name with everybody," he said. "And I think [my methods] are positive ways to build harmonious relationships among people of different ethnicities."

Write to June Tsai at june@mail.gio.gov.tw