Ancestors of Indigenous Peoples Origin Monument Introduction
According to the oral traditions of the Puyuma people, Taiwan was originally submerged under the sea, with land connecting Orchid Island and Green Island. Later, Taiwan Island emerged from the ocean, while the original land where people lived sank into the depths, and even the sun and moon disappeared, leaving only five siblings alive. One boy was pushed up to the sky and became the sun, a girl became the moon, while the remaining one boy and two girls drifted to the mountains near Sanhe Village and Huayuan Village in Taitung's Tamali Township. The landing site is referred to by the people as "Luhfa'an" or "Banabanayung," which means "place of origin" in the Puyuma language. It is also the site of the monument marking the ancestors' birthplace of the Indigenous people. In 1960, a monument titled "The Birthplace of Taiwan's Indigenous Ancestors" was erected on the hillside by the sea in Sanhe Village. In the 1980s, local suggestions brought attention to this site, leading the county government to secure funding for renovations, expanding the area and facilities, adding explanation plaques and carved structures for beautification and greening, resulting in its current scale. Every year around Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Puyuma people from Jhiben and Jianhe communities come to pay homage to their ancestors, expressing their gratitude and remembrance of their ancestors' blessings. The Amis people of the Dulan Village in Donghe Township have also established a worship platform here to fulfill the wishes of their ancestors, regularly coming to pay their respects and express their remembrance of their forebears. The site of the Indigenous ancestors' birthplace features explanations of the Puyuma migration, commemorative graphics of their arduous journey, inscriptions of the Puyuma monument, and memorial stone tablets. Visitors can ascend the cement stairs to browse through these exhibits, helping tourists and the descendants of Indigenous people better understand the process of their ancestors' migration to Taiwan.
