Shakalangkou Village Introduction
Adjacent to the Sakalan River, the Koushe community is a Paiwan indigenous village. The former name of Koushe is Sagaran, which was divided from the upstream Dasha community. In the past, two hunters from the Dasha Tavalon tribe, Sapantje and Salatiliman, went hunting and settled in a place known as Gauma'an, the old Koushe village, where their hunting dogs refused to leave. Some residents from Dasha also migrated here, and the hunter Sapantje returned to invite the Dasha chief's fourth son, Sa'adiu, to become the leader of the new settlement, thereby forming a new village named "Sagaran." At the entrance of the Koushe community, the stone pavilion archway features sculptures of the two hunters and their dogs along with the chief. To this day, when someone in the village gets married, they still send fruit garlands made of betel nut and oranges to the descendants of the two hunters as a sign of respect for the village's heroic founding. The tribal name of Koushe is Sagaran, and the Sakalan River that flows through Koushe is the lifeblood of the Sagaran people. After three relocations, the Sagaran people have always been closely connected with Koushe River, maintaining an important interdependent relationship. In 2001, due to an illegal poisoning incident, the river's fish population suffered a massive die-off, causing significant ecological damage. The villagers were deeply distressed by this act; thus, the village chief gathered the residents and launched a river protection initiative, starting the Sagaran river conservation movement. During the past two years of river protection efforts, the community initiated voluntary labor, involving villagers in patrols, building river protection trails, constructing stone embankments, and organizing platforms to build stilt houses, gradually restoring the original ecological environment of the Sakalan River. Indigenous peoples have historically relied on the resources of mountains and rivers to sustain their communities, practicing sustainable utilization and conservation based on the lifecycle of the ecosystem. With the rich cultural characteristics, unique lifestyles, and habits of the Paiwan people combined with the abundant ecological resources of the Sakalan River, we can develop quality ecological tourism in Sagaran.
