Flying Fish from Heaven, Seafaring Austronesians, Mackay's Breadfruit, Biru the Spanish and Creole Language - Yilan Anthropology Notes
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Potteries for flying-fish ceremony (religious service to God) 7-8th century, Izumo Shimane Japan. The flying fish, or “ago,” is the prefectural fish of Shimane |
Flying fish are a vital, migratory species in the Kuroshio Current.
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刺桐 (Erythrina variegata) and 苦楝 (Melia azedarach) flowering season means the beginning of flying-fish season (April) for the indigenous of the eastern coast. @流流社 Lawlawa - Kavalan Cultural Center |
Alibangbang (Tao) and Alivonvon (Amis) etymology
Tao suvan 刺桐 (Erythrina variegata) flowering season is flying-fish Alibangbang season.
Amis, Kavalan, Ketagalan 刺桐(Erythrina variegata) flowering season is "The beginning of the year" (New year symbolism)
II # Sanay Etymology. Ami/Yami - People of the Sea (Umiうみ) (Hypothesis-Validation Value)
III Taiwan's Cultural Memory - MoNTUE 北師美術舘 (Special Exhibition) Notes
III Taiwan's Cultural Memory - MoNTUE 北師美術舘 (Special Exhibition) Notes
IV Flowers of Formosa, Dawn of Formosa- Historical Novel Galore 苦楝花 (Melia azedarach) Bangas is a Taiwan native tree exist in several indigenous languages, Sakizaya (Bangas), Atayal (Baaaran), Amis/Paiwan (Bagasu), Puyuma (gamut). Extensively cultivated during Japanese rules, especially in Southern Taiwan, as the flower color, shape is reminiscent to Japanese of their national flower cherry blossoms)
A resource map of 1951 print shows flying fish locations on the eastern coast.
A retired ship captain's hydrographic chart (published in 1985) shows the Kuro-Shio location from Taiwan to Okinawa.@Dongshan 冬山
The retired ship captain 黃正容 with his wife run 春不老驛站 an award-winning beef noodle restaurant. Behind the restaurant is 'The Wanshan Historical Site (丸山考古遺址)', a neolithic archaeology excavation site. National Taiwan University archeology crew who were on a 3-months Wanshan 丸山 field trip in 2025 visited and photographed with the couple. Upstairs of the restaurant is a display room (open for public) showcasing Huang's personal collections from around the world.
Boxer Codex (16th-century) descriptions of Cham, Tamsui and Keelung peoples.
Somehow my recent encounters with The Cham (@Hoi An Vietnam), Ketagalan (Beitou) and Kavalan (Yilan) locals remind me of The Basay people (skillful maritime traders of northern Taiwan in the 16-17th century). Some certain physical feature too (for those I met or saw).
Mackay's breadfruit and indigenous connection
George Leslie Mackay may be the first person to acknowledge breadfruit and indigenous connections. However, it appears according to Academia Sinica researcher 鍾國芳 -'Taiwan breadfruit' is not 'pacific breadfruit' Artocarpus altilis Mackay identified. Source HERE.
Taiwan 'breadfruit' is A. treculianus - a species of tree in the Moraceae family endemic to the Philippines.
'Breadfruit' connection within the Kavalan communities is evident - in a way it's spiritual and symbolic deeply rooted in their culture.
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Former Kavalan settlements
We met a family member of Kay 偕 (name after G Mackay) who manage the Kavalan cultural center and later were shown the location of the church Mackay built in late 1880s (buildings in the background would have been the location of Han settlement) and another one in a dense thicket down the road.
There is a sinking feeling of sadness about the people and the place.
Biru @カンケイ Kankei 寒溪 (1914）/Kangke （creole 1930)/Staci (mandarin)
Kankei 寒溪 elementary - formerly 'カンケイ蕃童教育所' built in 1914.
Atayal word Biru (or Miru - person name) appeared in 1930s report where Japanese identified TAG (Tagalog) and a loanword from libro (Spanish for 'book').
A short-walk uphill behind the school is Kankei 寒溪 Shinto shrine. Kankei-shi カンケイ祠 (original in Japanese - 祠 shrine) built in 1933. Well-maintained small-scale 地方性神社 (local shinto shrine) with interesting features and monuments well worth a visit. Such as :
Atayal traditional layered slate stone structure - another example I have seen is Smangus layered slate roof.
"Abolish firearms" 銃獵之廢 noting five Atayal communities 五社 (dated 1933 昭和八年）
"The Pledge" 誓文碑 - reinforce the importance of admonition (dated 1937 昭和十二年)
Which reminded me Mr 金子展也 KANEKO Nobuya who investigated 350 Shinto shrines in Taiwan .
Japanese-Based Creole Language @Kangke 寒溪
I started and will end with Shimane Prefecture -
In 2018 Taipei, I participated in a short-film where Jambalaya was served. Little did I know that several years later I realized Jambalaya was a creole dish. And the first Creole cookbook was written by Lafcadio Hearn whose residence I visited.
Meet the Speakers of the World’s Last Japanese-Based Creole Language Watch this Taiwan Plus report for details.
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