Shakalankou Village Introduction
The Koushe community, adjacent to the Shakaran Stream, is a Paiwan Indigenous village. The old name of Koushe is Shakaran (sagaran), which was separated from the larger Dasha tribe upstream of the Shakaran Stream. In the past, two hunters from the Dasha Tavalang tribe, named Sapantje and Salatiliman, went hunting and settled in a place (the old Koushe village, called Kauma'an) where their hunting dogs refused to leave. Some residents from Dasha also migrated here. Hunter Sapantje returned to invite Sa'adiu, the fourth son of the Dasha chieftain, to be the leader of the new settlement, thus forming a new village named "Shakaran." At the entrance of the Koushe community, there is a stone pavilion archway featuring statues of the two hunters, their hunting dogs, and the chieftain. To this day, during weddings in the village, betel nuts and oranges are woven into garlands and sent to the descendants of the two hunters as a sign of respect for the village's heroic ancestors. The tribal name of Koushe is Shakaran (sagaran), and the Shakaran Stream flowing through Koushe is the source of life for the sagaran people. The sagaran people have undergone three relocations but have always coexisted with the Koushe Stream. Even now, there is an important interdependent relationship between the sagaran people and the Shakaran Stream. In 2001, due to a fish poisoning incident caused by unscrupulous individuals, the fish population in the stream died en masse, significantly affecting the stream's ecology. The villagers felt deep resentment towards this act, prompting the village chief to gather the villagers and launch a stream protection plan, marking the beginning of the Shakaran (sagaran) stream conservation movement. In the past two years of conservation efforts, the community initiated voluntary labor, allowing villagers to participate in stream patrols, construct protection trails, build stone embankments, and organize platforms for high stilts. Gradually, the Shakaran Stream has begun to recover its original ecological environment. Indigenous peoples have historically relied on the resources of mountains and streams to sustain their communities, taking from nature while also conserving it, establishing ethical practices based on the breeding cycles of biological life that ensure resources are utilized sustainably. The rich cultural features and unique lifestyle and habits of the Paiwan tribe combined with the abundant ecological resources of the Shakaran Stream enable us to create a high-quality ecological tourism project in Shakaran (sagaran).
