Wutai Stone Slab Settlement Introduction
Wutai Township is the highest township in Pingtung County, with an elevation of about 1,000 meters. It is one of the villages of the Rukai people and is famously known as a sacred site for the Rukai tribe. The Rukai have profound life wisdom and artistic culture, typically expressed through slate houses, stone carvings, embroidery, and weaving. The slate houses, built from local stone materials through manual cutting and crafting, are quite cool and comfortable to live in, representing a proud architectural feature of the Rukai people. Wutai Slate Street is the best place to experience the essence of Rukai culture. The pedestrian pathway, paved with slate stones, gradually climbs along the mountain slope and encompasses the Rukai Cultural Museum, St. Joseph's Church, and Wutai Elementary School, following the movement of a snake. The railings of the pathway are uniquely decorated with traditional pottery. If you look closely, you may find that the surface of the pottery is engraved with images of snakes and various patterns, each carrying individual meanings; for example, triangular patterns represent mountains and rivers, horizontal lines represent rivers, and circles symbolize unity. Additionally, at the entrances of various alleys, there appear diamond patterns of snakes painted in red, yellow, black, and white, primarily serving as a replacement for zebra crossings, which is a very interesting design. Along the way, many images of lilies can also be seen, which are related to the origins of ancestors in Rukai legends and hold a sacred status. Generally, Rukai women must go through a marriage ceremony or a flower-buying ritual to wear a complete lily decoration, which includes a red Cattleya orchid. The flower-buying ritual refers to unmarried women who, with economic permission, select a day to slaughter pigs, brew wine, and make rice cakes as offerings to the village leader to obtain the right to wear flowers, making it one of the important life rituals for Rukai women. Walking through the alleys, one can easily spot the richly cultural totems, pottery, slate houses, slate sculptures, blacksmith shops, and bronze craft workshops, making it easy to feel the high talents and confidence that Rukai people exhibit in artistic creation, while also savoring the unique charm of Rukai artistic culture.
