The four-sided ancestral pillar of Zingrur from Kaviyangan
The four-sided ancestral pillar of Zingrur from Kaviyangan, also known as the four-sided wooden carved ancestral pillar from the house of Chief Zingrur, Kaviyangan, Paiwan (Paiwan language: na Paiwan a Kemasi Kaviyangan na lja Zingerur a Pararulj), is a wooden carved side pillar containing the symbolic meaning of ancestral spirits originally in the old house of Chief Zingrur from the Paiwan Kaviyangan tribe. It is currently being displayed at NTU Museum of Anthropology, Taipei.
History
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The wooden carved pillar was originally a side pillar in the old house of Chief Zingrur from the Paiwan Kaviyangan tribe. The old house was located 20-minute drive from the current Kaviyangan village and close to the summit of Nandawushan, Pingtung County.[1]
In 1932, a Japanese anthropologist discovered the house and the pillar, collected it and archived it into the collections by Taihoku Imperial University (the predecessor of the National Taiwan University).[2] After the handover of Taiwan in 1945, the pilar became part of the National Taiwan University (NTU) Museum of Anthropology collection.[3]
In March 2015, this pillar was designated as a national treasure by the Ministry of Culture.[4][5] Originally, the people from the Kaviyangan tribe wanted their pillar back, but they agreed to a compromise where a symbolic wedding between the NTU and the pillar would be held.[6] With a traditional Paiwan wedding, it would symbolise the tribe marrying away the pillar as a bride to the university. This allowed the nobility and cultural value of the pillar to be recognized, and an alliance to be formed between the tribe and the university.[3]
On 12 September 2015, the wedding took place in the NTU Museum of Anthropology, with former NTU president Yang Pan-Chyr marrying the pillar as a representative from the university.[1] Around 80 people from the Kaviyangan tribe attended the wedding, performing wedding songs and traditional dances.[7]
Composition
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The ancestral pillar has images of Muakai Zingrur, the female ancestor who founded the Kaviyangan tribe, carved into all four sides of the pillar. The tribe believes that they could invite the spirits of their ancestor into the pillar through a ceremony, and they would worships the pillars as if they were the ancestors.[3]
The ancestral pillar is nearly 170 cm high, made of wood, and carved with four sides. The width of the four sides is 30 to 39 cm. Bas-relief and line carving techniques were used to present a full-body standing figure of a woman, with her hands held together and flat on her chest. The woman has six fingers. Her fingers, wrists, arms, and lower legs were sculpted with multiple circles of parallel carving patterns, which can be inferred to be of noble origin.[8]
It is unknown when the pillar was craved, but since it was discovered in 1932, it is at least 92 years old.
This pillar also has a "daughter" pillar originally placed next to it in the old house of Chief Zingrur, and has images of Mulitan, daughter of Muakai, carved on it. This "daughter" pillar was also listed as a national treasure and is currently at Biodiversity Research Museum, Academia Sinica.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Buchan, Noah (2017-05-25). "Taiwan's national treasures: Plunder or preservation - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ "排灣族祖靈情定臺大，文化部喜孜孜隆重證婚 男方陶甕琉璃珠下聘，迎娶佳平社金祿勒頭目家國寶祖靈柱". www.moc.gov.tw. September 12, 2015. Archived from the original on 2024-12-16. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Wu, Chia-Cheng (2020-10-25). "【Museums Link Asia-Pacific】World's First National Treasure Wedding – How Museums and Tribes are Connected through Artefacts". Taiwan Museum Association, R.O.C. Archived from the original on 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ "文化部文化資產局--國家文化資產網". nchdb.boch.gov.tw. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ^ "〈國寶也能結婚 台大迎娶祖靈柱〉". 《人間福報》. 2015-09-12.
- ^ 吳佳錚 (2019-01-01). "做國寶的家人：Kaviyangan文化復振中的物質實踐" [Doing Muakai’s Family: Material Practices of the Cultural Revitalization in Kaviyangan]. 國立臺灣大學人類學系學位論文 (in Chinese (Taiwan)): 1–171. doi:10.6342/NTU202002887.
- ^ "Paiwan totem finds new home with wedding ceremony". Ministry of Culture. 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ Chiu, Chih-jou; Clegg, Julian (2015-03-11). "Paiwan ancestral post may be a national treasure 泰武佳平四面女祖靈柱 申列國寶 - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2024-12-14.