Ancestral Origin Monument of Indigenous Peoples Introduction
According to the oral tradition of the Puyuma people, Taiwan was originally submerged beneath the ocean, and there was land connecting Orchid Island and Green Island. Later, Taiwan Island emerged from the sea, while the original land sank to the ocean floor, and even the sun and moon disappeared, leaving only five siblings alive. One boy was pushed into the sky and became the sun, a girl became the moon, and the other siblings—one boy and two girls—drifted to the mountains near Sanhe Village and Huayuan Village in Taitung's Taimali Township. This landing place is referred to by the tribe as "Luhfa'an" or "Banabana-yang," which means "the place of origins" in the Puyuma language. It is also where the monument to the ancestors of the indigenous people is located. In 1960, a monument marking "The Ancestral Homeland of Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples" was erected on the hillside next to the sea in Sanhe Village. It gained attention in the 1980s thanks to local suggestions, which led the county government to seek funding to renovate and expand the park area and facilities, add information boards, sculptures, and beautification efforts. This is what we see today. Every year around the Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Puyuma people from the Jhiben and Jianhe communities come to pay their respects to their ancestors, expressing their gratitude and remembrance. The Amis people of the Dulan Village in Donghe Township, fulfilling their ancestors' wishes, have also established a shrine here and regularly come to pay tribute in memory of their ancestors. The site of the monument to the ancestors of the indigenous peoples features explanations of the Puyuma migration, commemorative images of their difficult journey, inscriptions on the Puyuma monument, and commemorative stones, allowing visitors and descendants of indigenous peoples to learn more about the process of the indigenous peoples migrating to Taiwan as they walk up the concrete steps for a closer look.
