Past, Present and Future: Shitiping, Gangkou Village

After the massacre of Manchu soldiers in the Cepo' Incident, remaining clansmen of Makota’ay moved to the plain between the Coastal Mountains and the Pacific Ocean near the outlet of Xiuguluan Stream and developed the life and cultural wisdom of Pangcah. The population of the port tribe is now about 500 people. Most of the tribal people work and live in the city so only the elderly, children, and a few young people stay to maintain tribal life. The tribe is divided into several settlements at port makota'ay, the big harbor laeno, the lion mountain, the stone ladder tida'an, the stone staircase molito, the stone staircase harbor, the stone gate, and so on. As of today, Makota’ay strictly follows seral (age hierarchy), ilisin (yearly festival), and misacepo’ (sea festival), making it an important cultural heritage of Pangcah in the East Coast. 
 
Located at the outlet of Xiuguluan Stream, Makota’ay has gone through fallow, drought, and population migration for 30 years. Water terraces along the coast were deserted and waterways were fragmented. After 20 years of fallow, clansmen gathered to discuss the solution and finally reached an agreement to work with the Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture and the Bureau of Agriculture, Hualien County. In 2010, the Forestry Bureau started to promote the “Ecological Conservation and Rehabilitation of Important Agricultural Wetlands”. In 2011, Sumi Dongi from Pangcah gathered clansmen to restore water terraces and irrigation ditches in Fengbin Township, resulting in the signature local product “sea rice” and a gradually comprehensive chain of production. Starting from 2016, Taiwan Good Food Association gathered the strength of professionals and clansmen in the hope of finding a way of using the second crop season and tried to grow glutinous rice and grains. The initial results were satisfactory. In the future, agricultural development will continue under the collaboration between the tribe, the government, and non-government organizations.

Gangkou Village is at the southern end of Shi’ti (literally “stone steps” or “stone ladder” in Chinese) Bay, a big area of sea erosion terrain with protruding coral reefs, canals and cliffs occupies the coast. Among those eroded rock formations and pot holes are myriad interesting scenery spots. Shi’ti Bay is the best place to see pot holes in Taiwan.
 
There are many tropical fish under the sea and all sorts of seaweeds, seafood, and shellfishes growing in the tidal area. Above the rocky reef seashore grows the only woods in Hualien County, which is a great area to observe special plants and animals. For example, Coleus Formosanus, a kind of small plant which is shorter than 10 cm that blossoms bluish-purple color along the stalk, only exists in Malaysia and Orchid Island, Green Island, and here in Shitiping. It usually blossoms from the spring to summer seasons. So please look for these small plants when you are here.
 
Among the plants growing along the seashore, Pandanus Odoratissimus, yellow hibiscus, and scaevola aemula are the most popular. They are all plants that require minimal sunshine and water and thrive in salty environments. Pandanus Odoratissimus is under protection as it is the only food and habitat for the big-headed stick insect (Megacrania Tsudai), which is nearly extinct. In addition, the Phoenix Hanceane that grow on pebbles is a plant living since the Ice Age. The pot holes on the protruding coral reefs are full of sea creatures such as sea urchins, sea snails, and seaweeds, which create a delicatessen for the local inhabitants. 

Culture and Life

Most of the inhabitants here are Pangcah followed by Han people. As a result, the major language used here is the Pangcah language while Mandarin is the second language. Their religious rituals, singing, dancing, and lifestyle are very similar to those of the Gangkou Village 2 km away. The Fishing Festival in June and their Ilisin (Harvest Festival) in late July are the most important festivals. They had been trying to maintain and revive their traditional culture, so there are many clubs and studios focusing on different traditions such as weaving, shaman dancing, conventional cuisine, and traditional wine brewing. Pangcah has a tradition of oral history, called "pakongko". The seniors tell the stories to the young children, not only to pass down the tribal culture and customs, but also to keep alive the tribal relationship between the elderly and young people. The storytellers of the tribe are well-respected, including tribal leaders who must have the ability to tell stories in order to pass the tribal spirit. But now, the elderly only tell pakongko at weddings, funerals and celebrations.
 
The most unique feature of the port tribes is the active artistic activity performed by visual creation artists, pottery art creators, drift wood artists, and musicians. Therefore, a lot of the art studios station are located in port tribe villages, including: lit fire studio, necklace studio, Rara Dongi studio, and Sawalian Cultural Space. These spare no effort to preserve traditional culture and promote contemporary art.


│ Rice, umbrella sedge, and Limnophila rugosa │
Rice, umbrella sedge (Cyperus alternifolius) and Limnophila rugosa grow together in the paddies. The rice would be planted closer to the water source while the umbrella sedge would be planted at the farthest end of the filed. After the rice was harvested and dried, right before the coming of the summer, it was time to harvest the umbrella sedge and sun dry them during the hottest season. After the second harvest of rice, around December, most people would weave the dried umbrella sedge into utilitarian objects such as mats while there was not much work to be done in the field. Under the umbrella sedge grows the Limophila rugosa which is the essential material in traditional wine brewing.
 
In the future, it is hoped that people from the port tribes, especially young people, not only pass down the important culture and the industry  but also return to revive the tribe. By holding art activities and activating industry, Gangkou Village will be a very impressive example of life based on artistic living attitudes and farming.