Gulou Village Introduction
Gulu Village is the largest indigenous tribe in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, located on a mountain slope at an elevation of 1,000 meters. Even in the lowland, it retains a strong sense of the Paiwan tradition. The five-year festival of Gulu Village thrives due to competition. The oldest chieftain family, Jiling, faced challenges from the emerging Tsai Lufang family during the Japanese occupation, leading both sides to form factions that competed against each other during important ceremonies. As other tribes were losing their traditions, Gulu's five-year festival became increasingly grand. The bamboo pole festival, also known as the five-year festival, is the most important celebration for the Paiwan people. Initially a three-year festival, it originated from the agreement between the ancestor Limoki and the goddess of creation, Dalan-Ge, to meet every three years, known as the "Covenant Festival." Ten days before each ceremony, a shaman divines the auspicious time, using the smoke from burning millet stalks as a bridge for the ancestral gods to descend and meet with the tribe members. Currently, only Gulu Village in Laiyi Township, Pingtung County, and Tuban Village in Daren Township, Taitung County, still hold this ritual.
