Kavalan 噶瑪蘭族

2002-12-25

Photo taken from: https://reurl.cc/0OkMll

Features

Braided banana silk.
Matrilineal society.
Age class system.
Distributed in Yilan.

History

The Kavalan, who has been forced to be attached to the Amis, is actually completely different from the Amis in terms of ceremonies, language and culture. Therefore, since 1980, the indigenous of the Kavalan tribe began to seek roots and rectify their names. After long-term efforts, immediately after the Thao, the Indigenous Peoples Committee of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China also officially recognized the Kavalan as the 11th ethnic group of the indigenous people on December 25, 2002. The inheritance and preservation of the Kavalan culture has since entered a new era.

Photo taken from: https://reurl.cc/8yyaa4

Clothes

Red & Blue & Yellow & Black & White.
Black. (Old people.)
Back bag.
Betel nut bag.
Banana silk cloth.

Ritual (in Kavalan language)

Palilin. (New Year's Eve family reunion ceremony to worship ancestors)

Pray for success in the coming year. The ancestor worship ceremony is divided into Kavalan and Dopuwan rituals, and there are differences in the sacrifices used and the openness of the ceremony.

Kavalan palilin is held before the end of December in the lunar calendar, which is close to the new year. In the evening, after the ancestors are invited by the elders, they use red wine, white wine, rice cakes and other sacrifices, and the family members take turns to make sacrifices.

The ancestor worship ceremony of Dopuwan palilin is relatively private and is an internal ceremony of the family, held before the end of December of the lunar calendar. The ceremony was carried out by female elders in the morning. The door to the outside of the family was closed first. In addition to red wine, white wine, and glutinous rice, there were rooster entrails. The ancestor worship process involves the elders leading their family members to take turns to recruit the ancestor spirits. The viscera of the rooster, the stomach, liver, and the heart, are placed one by one on the banana leaf for the ritual. After the ceremony is completed, the sacrifice is moved to the door beam on the pillar.

Reference from: https://reurl.cc/gmL6eV