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| Rituals’ Origins | Adulthood Rite
| Traditional Funeral | Thanksgiving Ritual |
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The Coming of Rituals
(Thanksgiving Ritual)
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Thanksgiving Ritual
of Hongye Tribe
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Presenting glory to
the chairperson
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Some 300 to 400 years ago, before the tribe’s people moved to the
Central Mountains, the “Thanksgiving Ritual” that was held annually was an
important ritual. When the people still lived in our homeland, Jen-ai Township,
Nantou now, they would celebrate this ritual together. After the tribe’s people
moved into the Central Mountains in these 300 to 400 years, although they split
up, settled down on different tablelands suitable to live, and became new
clans, all the families still celebrated the “Thanksgiving Ritual” in September
or October within their clans. First, the ancestors would thank Bari, the god
to pray for a good harvest. Later, the tribe’s people regarded Bari as the weaving
god or creator. And the people thanked him during the “Thanksgiving Ritual.”
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Adulthood
Rite
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Qualifications for
Adulthood Rite:
There are about 10 years from when the parents give their children
training until they can be independent. When the parents think they have become
adults. Then, the tribal head will give him or her four adulthood tokens and
hold an adulthood rite for them. The four symbols are:
1. Exhortation
2. Tools for making a living 3. Permission to have their faces
tattooed
4. Permission to get married TOP
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Traditional
Funeral
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It is Truku’s
tradition to bury the decease indoors. To do so, they will dress the deceased
in rich attire and bend their hands and legs in front of their chest in a
crouching position. Then, they will wrap the dead body tight with a sheet.
Next, they will dig a round hole of about 5 to 6 feet under the deceased’s bed.
After that, his or her close relatives will bury the body in the den. Normally,
the dead will face the riverbank. In addition, they will bury the dead with the
things he or she loved and saw frequently during his or her lifetime.
Eventually, they will cover the hole with a stone plate and mud. The family of
the deceased will mourn for the dead for a period. During this time, they are
not allowed to drink wine, sing, and dance. A month later, they will end the
mourning. Then, their friends and relatives will drink wine at the home of the
mourning. After that, they will resume to normal life.TOP
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Thank
You Prayer
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Cut off a little bit
of pork
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Thanksgiving to
ancestors
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In the past, the
ancestors of Truku must pray to the ancestors’ spirits before drinking wine
and eating their meals. They would not eat deliberately. Before the meal, they
would pinch a little bit of food and say “suzi” to express their thanks to the
ancestors. It was the same for drinking wine. Before they drank wine, they
would dip their index finger in the wine and pray “suzi” and sprinkle the wine
around. By doing so, they invited the ancestors to eat and drink before they
did.
After the meals, they
would get a bit of ash with their index fingers and anoint it on their bellies
because “all the food came from our ancestors. We perform this ritual and we
will not get a stomach ache.” TOP
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