Shakalangkou Community Introduction
Adjacent to the Shakaran River, the Koushe community is a Paiwan indigenous village. The old name of Koushe is Shakaran (sagaran), which was separated from the larger village of Dazhe. In the past, two hunters from the Dazhe Davalon tribe, named Sapantje and Salatiliman, went hunting and reached a place (the old Koushe village, called Kauma'an), where their hunting dogs refused to leave. The hunters then settled there, and some residents from Dazhe also migrated to this area. Hunter Sapantje returned to ask the fourth son of the Dazhe chief, Sa'adiu, to become the leader of the new settlement, which thus formed the new tribe named "Shakaran." At the entrance of the Koushe community, there is a stone pavilion archway featuring sculptures of the two hunters, their dogs, and the chief. Even today, when someone in the village gets married, they convey respect to the descendants of the two hunters by sending betel nuts and oranges arranged as wreaths, honoring the legacy of the tribe's heroic figures. The tribal name of the Koushe village is Shakaran (sagaran), and the Shakaran River, flowing through the village, serves as the lifeblood of the sagaran people. After three migrations, the sagaran people have always coexisted with the Koushe River. To this day, the Shakaran (sagaran) people and the Shakaran (sagaran) River share an essential interdependent relationship. In 2001, an incident involving unscrupulous individuals poisoning fish led to the mass death of fish in the river, causing significant ecological harm. The villagers felt deeply appalled by this action, prompting the village chief to gather the community and announce a river conservation plan, initiating the Shakaran (sagaran) river protection movement. During the nearly two years of river protection efforts, the community organized voluntary labor from villagers to participate in river patrols, build river protection trails, erect stone revetments, and create elevated platforms for homes. Gradually, the Shakaran River has begun to recover its original ecological environment. Indigenous peoples have historically thrived on the resources of mountains and rivers, taking from nature while conserving it, establishing ethical principles based on the natural cycles of life, enabling resources to be utilized sustainably. With the rich cultural characteristics and unique lifestyles of the Paiwan people, combined with the abundant ecological resources of the Shakaran River, we can develop high-quality ecological tourism in Shakaran (sagaran).
