Ancestral Land of Indigenous Peoples Monument Introduction
According to the oral tradition of the Puyuma tribe, Taiwan was originally submerged under the sea, with land connected between Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Green Island. Later, Taiwan Island rose above the sea, and the original land where people lived sank into the ocean, taking the sun and moon with it, leaving only five siblings alive. One boy was pushed up to the heavens to become the sun, while a girl became the moon, and the remaining three, one boy and two girls, drifted to the mountains near Sanhe Village and Huayuan Village in Taitung's Taimali Township. The place where they landed is referred to by the tribe as "Luhafan" or "Banabanaya," which means the place of origin in Puyuma language. It is also the site of the monument for the ancestors of the indigenous people. In 1960, a monument to the "Taiwan Indigenous People's Ancestors' Place of Origin" was erected on the hillside near Sanhe Village. In the 1980s, due to suggestions from local residents, it began to receive attention, leading the county government to seek funds for renovation, expansion of the park area and facilities, as well as the installation of explanatory signs and sculptures for beautification and greening, resulting in its current scale. Every year around the Tomb Sweeping Festival, Puyuma people from Zhiben and Jianhe communities come to pay respects to their ancestors, expressing their gratitude for their ancestors' contributions. The Amis people from the Dulan community in Donghe Township also established a shrine here, coming regularly to pay tribute and express their remembrance of their ancestors. At the site of the Indigenous Ancestors' Place of Origin monument, there are explanations of the Puyuma migration, commemorative images of their difficult journey, inscriptions on the Puyuma monument, and commemorative stone tablets. Visitors can ascend by concrete steps to browse through these displays, helping them and the descendants of indigenous people better understand the process of indigenous migration to Taiwan.
