'Bamboo Canisters - Black Powder' (Anthropology Note 153-165)

Souvenir brought back from Rapa Nui (Easer Island) where I came across Indigenous-Polynesian language revitalizations: Hawaii - Rapa Nui - Māori New Zealand.

The experience broaden my knowledge about proto-language revitalization, strategies, hypotheses, development, mechanisms, (most interestingly) local interpretations and diversities, Germanic linguists dominance and influences (which I first noticed during a Poland trip in fact).

All these allow me to look at indigenous-language-revitalizations in Taiwan from a wider perspective, making my own judgements, and develop my thoughts and opinions based on personal experiences and observations over the last decade.

Two points to make in the first instance -

1. Some aspects of either current or long-standing Austronesian linguists hypotheses and analysis on languages of indigenous peoples of Taiwan appear questionable.

I see on several occasions (including significant indigenous -naming) loanwords being promoted as 'indigenous' or 'Proto-Austronesian. These claims may be made by renowned Austronesian-language linguists, nevertheless questionable. Underanalysed and outdated.

What's here is a revitalization- culture which encourages building hypotheses and indulges in proposed etymologies while factual evidences could be available and accessible but are categorically ignored.

Claims based on 'hypotheses' are welcomed. That keeps everyone happy. Everyone can have his own 'hypothesis'. And they make better stories.

Factual history and evidence are compromised.

Some results appear -

Based on underanalysed data and outdated knowledge and information.

Based on heavy linguistic mechanism in building indigenous dictionary. And on some occasions executions suggest weak understanding and insufficient resources of what actually happens and develops in Taiwan over the last 50 years.

While without-a-question indigenous interpretations are valuables and should be respected, implemented and the purpose of revitalization is understandably for locals to use, to relate, and therefore to preserve. And while most 'made-ups' are harmless and they can be great stories - something researchers may wish to consider is the purpose of their research - whether it is to report and continue building 'made-ups' because they make better stories or turn back to research for truth where convincing conclusions are achievable.

2. Diversity of Loanwords - 'Diversity' of Language Misuse

'Loanwords' diversity should not be mistaken and used for indigenous-language diversity promotion. Which is a flawed practice.

For example -

Saisiyat 'Tinawon, Rukai 'Cinavu', Amis 'avay' .
They are from the SAME ONE root word.

(Origin I don't know yet.)

Tao Ali bang bang (flying fish), Amis Kilang.

They are from the SAME ONE root word -
Ang 桐 . aka 刺桐 (Zaitun - historical name of Quanzhou over 11-14th century). Chinese loanword.

Twenty pages of ' Indigenous word list' based on one single loanword is not an evidence of 'diverse language' nor an evidence of Proto- origin. They are -

Loanword Diversity NOT Language Diversity

Note 153

'Bamboo' 竹 revitalization for 'Collect water' 汲

mibun qsya 提水
pebulan 汲水桶
btakan 麻竹
ruma' 桂竹

Colors are loaned morphemes (Chinese, English/Japanese Makino, Hokkien). Doesn't mean black is 'indigenous', no, but in this instance colors are loaned.

pu/pe/pa all possible prefix for 'make-happen' 把

puniq - pu is probably pa 把- to make fire.

pa 把 Chinese/Hokkien - 'make-happen'.

Note 154 Black powder and Bamboo Canisters.

kulu meaning black is borrowed from Japanese 'kuro' 黑.

The borrow exists in Smangus (means Savages) too for its fertile -black (Korwa) -soil ancestral land. A story created for tourism.

I am in the opinion that Saisiyat 'hip/waist bells' bamboo and metal chimes is associated with 'black powder' in indigenous history.

I also see why Saisiyat ‘hip bell’ was originally ‘waist bell’ -because gunpowder containers were held on the waist!

Saisiyat ‘chimes’ story goes -
It was bamboo canisters then changed to metal (during Japanese era so is said)
Hip bell is also called waist bell.

PaSta'ay song about 'peace' 'give-up weapons', 'no more fight' may well be developed from this indigenous past. A connections not unreasonable to make.

Bunun people and bamboo canisters

Note 155 Tinawbon/Cinavun

Any connection? Borrowing, loanwords? Which way?

Cinavun (Paiwan Rukai) and
Tinawbon/Tinavun (Saisiyat)
Avay (Amis)

They are from the same word root.
Wherever the root originated.

Note 156 'Ang' 桐 Tree/Wood Root word 刺桐

Tree in Amis is Chinese loanword, once again. Same with several other indigenous languages. Root word 刺桐.

Ang is 桐

Kilang 刺桐 (Zaitun - historical name of Quanzhou)

Same root-word category example

Tao - Ali Bang Bang (Flying fish) (Beginning of the year)

Note 157

Religion impacts on weaving/dyeing among indigenous peoples

Ifugao /Tsou/Atayal/Seediq

Could religion play a major role in these similarities?
I think - worth exploring from another angle.

RED - as for the red fabric- I believe Professor Lin (NTU anthropology) explanation that the reason being there was a period of the time that RED IMPORTED fabric was the most common and popular in the region. Make a lot of sense.

旅の建築フィールドノート術―五感で感じたすべてを描く（2025）

Who are the Lanten peoples 藍靛族 that share cultural similarities with indigenous peoples of Taiwan?

Interesting that Lanten 藍靛 Indigo tradition and heritage became known as Hakka's in Taiwan.

藍靛族是瑤族的一個分支，又稱藍靛瑤，主要分布於雲南、廣西、越南、寮國等地，以種植馬藍製作藍靛染料而得名。他們具有悠久的藍染技藝和獨特的文化習俗，服飾上以粉紅或白色腰帶區分婚姻狀態，並保留了蠟染等非物質文化遺產。

Note 164 Indigenous house layout. sunken hearth (fire pit). Iron wok - Yunnan and Taiwan.

Indigenous sunken fire pit can be seen (from my own experience) on the Eastern part of Taiwan.

Note 165

Linguistic Facts- Pigeon peas and Indigenous mythology (Not before 1900s)

太巴塱部落/馬太鞍部落

番(仔）豆

fataan (Amis)

Both ‘oldest’ names should have developed from pigeon peas (Hakka/Hokkien 番豆)

Pigeon peas - once again - was most possibly (no evidence suggest the otherwise) introduced by Japanese in 1920-30s.

Should not have existed in Taiwan by 1900s.

I have mentioned about 番豆 pigeon peas etymology on a number of occasions - HERE is one.

Related post "Anthropology IV" HERE. Note 141-152 are recent updates.

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