Wednesday, December 31, 2008

周杰倫: 稻香 (Jay Chou: "Rice Fragrance")


Jay Chou's new CD came out a few months ago, entited "Capricorn" (yes, Jay is a Capricorn!). Jay Chou is one of Taiwan (and Asia's) hottest singers, noted for the originality and sophistication of his lyrics and musical composition. Here is my favorite song from the CD, entited "Rice Fragrance." I also translated the lyrics from Mandarin to English, included below. At the end is also a Youtube link for the MV.


(Rice Fragrance)

[ ] 詞:周杰倫 曲:周杰倫

對這個世界如果你有太多的抱怨
跌倒了就不敢繼續往前走
為什麼人要這麼的脆弱墮落
請你打開電視看看
多少人為生命在努力勇敢的走下去
我們是不是該知足
珍惜一切 就算沒有擁有

還記得你說家是唯一的城堡 隨著稻香河流繼續奔跑
微微笑 小時候的夢我知道
不要哭讓螢火蟲帶著你逃跑鄉間的歌謠永遠的依靠
回家吧 回到最初的美好

不要這麼容易就想放棄 就像我說的
追不到的夢想 換個夢不就得了
為自己的人生鮮艷上色 先把愛塗上喜歡的顏色
笑一個吧 功成名就不是目的
讓自己快樂快樂這才叫做意義
童年的紙飛機 現在終於飛回我手裡
所謂的那快樂 赤腳在田裡追蜻蜓追到累了
偷摘水果被蜜蜂給叮到怕了 誰在偷笑呢
我靠著稻草人吹著風唱著歌睡著了
午後吉它在蟲鳴中更清脆
陽光灑在路上就不怕心碎
珍惜一切 就算沒有擁有

還記得你說家是唯一的城堡 隨著稻香河流繼續奔跑
微微笑 小時候的夢我知道
不要哭讓螢火蟲帶著你逃跑 鄉間的歌謠永遠的依靠
回家吧 回到最初的美好





English translation:



Rice Fragrance


Lyrics and music composed by Jay Chou


If you have too many complaints about this world

When you fall you don’t dare to continue walking forward

Why do people have to be so weak and morally depraved

Please turn on the TV and watch

How many people, for the sake of life, bravely strive to keep walking

Aren’t we supposed to be content with what we have?

Cherish everything, don’t worry about what you don’t possess


I still remember when you said that home was the only castle, with the fragrance of the rice and the flowing river you continue to run

Smile, I know your childhood dreams

Don’t cry, allow the fireflies to bring you escape, the eternal dependence of the countryside chant

Go home, go back to your first happiness


Don’t give up so easily, it’s just like I said

The dreams that you cannot reach, just change them for another and it will be alright

Put some color into your life, first smear a color that you like on love

Com’n and smile, fame and fortune aren’t the goals

To let yourself be happy is what really matters

The paper airplane from my childhood finally flies back to my hand now

That so-called happiness, barefoot in the fields, chasing dragonflies ‘til I’m tired

Stealing fruit and getting stung by bees until I was scared, who’s laughing now?

I lean against the scarecrow, the wind blows, I sing a song and fall asleep

Oh, oh, in the afternoon the guitar sounds even crisper among the buzzing of the bugs

Oh, oh, when the sunshine sprinkles on the road I won’t be afraid of a broken heart

Cherish everything, don’t worry about what you don’t possess


I still remember when you said that home was the only castle, with the fragrance of the rice and the flowing river you continue to run

Smile, I know your childhood dreams

Don’t cry, allow the fireflies to bring you escape, the eternal dependence of the countryside chant

Go home, go back to your first happiness (x2)




"Rice Fragrance" Music Video!


Friday, December 12, 2008

Essay: Confucius Celebration

Confucius Celebration in Taipei, Taiwan

December 11, 2008

Tina Chen


September 28, the birthday of Confucius, is the designated date to celebrate Teacher’s Day in honor of the late Confucius, the first and most important teacher in Chinese culture. From childhood, students in Taiwan begin learning and memorizing Confucius’s teachings. His greatest emphasis was on the importance of study and thus this date is set aside to honor all teachers. On Saturday, September 27, my CIEE group attended the dress rehearsal of the annual celebration of Confucius’s birthday at Taipei Confucius Temple in Yuanshan, Taipei, at 4:00 in the afternoon. The actual celebration was to be held on September 28 at 6:00 AM, but unfortunately Super Typhoon Jangmi was headed on a crash course for Taiwan and postponed the ceremonies until the following Sunday. I would really have enjoyed attending the real ceremony as well, but unfortunately only the first 100 people are allowed to attend the real ceremony, so we chose to attend the dress rehearsal out of convenience. Nevertheless, the ceremony was still very insightful and I was able to capture a few good shots, both on camera and video, from the front of the crowd. The ceremony included traditional music and dance with performers wearing traditional Chinese robes and playing various classical instruments, all of which have significance to the content of the ceremony.


In observing this performance, I used Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model as a basis for my research, which is a model we used in Professor Templeman’s “Women and Music: A World Perspective” Honors Special Topics Spring 2008 course. To summarize briefly, Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model is a guideline for how to observe and analyze a performance. It states that there are three components to a musical performance: behavior, sound, and concept. The model also states that these three aspects are fully related in contributing to the successful production of music. During a performance, an artist attempts to accomplish the exhibition of certain concepts, whether created by his or herself or created by society itself, and does so by physically carrying out certain behaviors. These behaviors cause the artist to create certain sounds, which should reflect the concepts that he or she wishes to exhibit. If the sound produced does not create the desired effect, then the artist will alter his or her behaviors and sounds until they reflect the desired concept.


During this ceremony, I studied the behaviors and sounds of both the performers and audience. The performance was taken place in the inner courtyard of Taipei Confucius Temple, in front of Dacheng Hall, which houses the main alter. Above the alter hangs a plaque that reads, “Education knows no class distinction,” one of Confucius’s famous quotes. Dacheng Hall is surrounded on all four sides by a row of connected buildings, in traditional Chinese architecture, so that the performers were directly in front of Dacheng Hall and the audience stood off to the sides near the East and West side buildings as well as on either side of the Dacheng Gate, the entrance leading to Dacheng Hall. However, no one is allowed tos stand directly in the middle of Dacheng Gate because the center entrance is reserved only for the spirit of Confucius himself.


The ceremony began when two Masters of Ceremonies dressed in traditional purple Chinese robes walked to the front of the stage and initiated the opening ceremony. As a brief overlook, to depict the organization of the entire ceremony, I will list all of the 37 events that are included in the Modern Confucius Ceremony, as written by the 2008 Dalongtong Cultural Festival brochure:


  1. The Ceremony Begins
  2. First Drum Roll
  3. Second Drum Roll
  4. Third Drum Roll
  5. Ceremonial Attendants Take Their Positions
  6. Ceremonial Supervisor Takes His Designated Position
  7. Assistant Sacrifice Officers Take Their Designated Positions
  8. Collateral Presentation Officers Take Their Designated Positions
  9. Principal Presentation Officer Takes His Designated Position
  10. Opening the Gates
  11. Burying the Sacrificial Remnants
  12. Welcoming the Spirit
  13. All Bow Three Times in Respect
  14. Presenting the Sacrificial Feast
  15. Offering Incense
  16. Initial Principal Presentation
  17. Initial Collateral Presentation
  18. Chanting the Blessing
  19. All Bow Three Times in Respect
  20. Second Principal Presentation
  21. Second Collateral Presentation
  22. Final Principal Presentation
  23. Final Collateral Presentation
  24. The President Offering Incense
  25. Chanting the Blessing from President
  26. All Bow Three Times in Respect
  27. The Sacrificing Officer Offering Incense
  28. The Drink of Good Fortune and Receipt of Sacrificial Meat
  29. Removing the Remnants of the Sacrificial Feast
  30. Escorting the Spirit
  31. All Bow Three Times in Respect
  32. Sending the Silk Spirit-Money and Prayer Inscription
  33. Look After the Incinerator
  34. Resuming Positions
  35. Closing the Gates
  36. Withdrawing Positions
  37. The Ceremony Concludes

The ceremony was quite easy to follow because the Masters of Ceremonies flipped a yellow tablet of paper that indicated the number of each current stage. This made the ceremony much easier to understand because I could follow the performer’s actions with each stage of the performance. The ceremony began with three series of drum rolls, and the MC on the right of the yellow tablet announced in Mandarin each step that took place. There seemed to be a distinct pattern to the drum roll sequences: upon studying my video recordings, I observed the following: one strike of a higher-pitched drum, then four beats of a lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into a roll, slows down, strikes once again, and then a gong strikes once. The second drum roll begins with two strikes of the higher-pitched drum, then three beats of the lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into triplets and a roll, decelerates, ends with two strikes, and then two strikes of a gong. The third and last drum roll begins with three lower-pitched drum strikes, then 5 strikes of the lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into a roll, decelerates, and then three slow beats, ending with three strikes of a gong. Although I was able to decipher this pattern, I am unsure of whether or not this pattern has a certain meaning.


After the three drum roll sequences, the ceremonial participants took their places by walking to the beat of a drum in a single file line: walk five beats, rest one beat, beginning with the musicians and dancers. As the higher-level attendants came on stage, they walked to the front of the stage and washed their hands before taking their places. After everyone was in place, the gates that comprise the front wall of the temple were opened to allow the spirit of Confucius to enter the temple. This process was accompanied by a drum sequence. It is common in temples for people to offer the spirits food and burn incense as they pray, and so in this ceremony such offerings were prepared for the spirit of Confucius, as well. Each step of this process was very slow and purposeful, and the music that accompanied was also slow and simple to create a solemn, dignified atmosphere.


The Initial Principle Presentation was the stage in which the Ba-Yi Dance was performed, which consists of the most important movements during the ceremony. It is a classical Taiwanese dance reserved only for this sacred day. It comprises of 8 rows of 8 people (“ba;” Chinese for “eight”) It is actually routine for the Ba-Yi Dance to be replaced with the Liu-Yi Dance (“Liu;” Chinese for “six”), so for the Ba-Yi Dance to be performed this year was a rare occasion, and actually a controversial topic because many locals believe that the temple purposely choose to perform the Ba-Yi Dance to give an unnecessarily exaggerated welcome to Taiwanese President Ma Yin-Jeou, who is the first president to attend the Confucius celebration. In any case, the Ba-Yi Dance is a classical ceremonial dance and was performed by 64 local schoolchildren. The dance comprises of 16 different movements, each having their own different meaning, but all movements meant to show offering and blessing to the Confucius spirit. The dancers direct their movements in all four directions, making sure to acknowledge any fellow spiritsin all directions as not to leave any out. Each dancer carries a long peacock feather, which represents wisdom, following the theme of “education.” The same dance movements were repeated throughout the ceremony in steps 20 and 22 (Second Principle Presentation and Final Principle Presentation).


During the Ba-Yi Dance (as well as throughout the ceremony), only traditional Chinese instruments are used as musical elements, because this music has been handed down throughout dynasties. Formal and solemn, it is based on an ode to Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty who ruled from 1368-1398. In order to play the music properly, instruments made of eight different elements are required: pao (: gourd), tu (: clay), mu (: wood), ge (: leather), shi (: stone), jin (: metal), si (: strings), and zhu (: bamboo).


During the opening of the gates (step 10), the spirit of Confucius is greeted by slow drum beats, and after the spirit has been welcomed, he is offered food and incense. In Taiwan, incense is only burned when praying to gods or ancestors, and is not used for an aromatic purpose, as it is used in American culture. After the spirit has been fed and properly blessed, the spirit is escorted out of the humanly world again with slow, deep drum beats, and the gates into the temple are closed.

The audience during this ceremony was mostly on a bystander level. They did not try to participate in the actual ceremony itself, and mostly just took pictures and videos, respectfully staying in one place the whole time as not to cause disturbance. People towards the back of the audience walked around and sometimes talked in low voices, but only because the ceremony took place outdoors and their dis

tance would not disturb the solemn, still atmosphere of the procession. The only movement that really occurred from the audience took place when it started to rain, and then people merely brought out their umbrellas and continued watching the procession.


There was no singing throughout the ceremony, only dance and musical accompaniment. The overall pace of the music, as well as the movement of the participants, was very slow, and the steps of the participants were often march-like, following the steady beat of the drum. This created a solemn, formal atmosphere that would have been appropriate for an emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and also can be explained by the fact that the music originated from an ode. In Taiwanese culture, it is custom that respect comes with age. Thus, the most honored are those who have already passed away; in no way should a deceased person be negatively referred to, and ancestors are believed to return as ghosts who can do harm to mortal beings if not pleased. The formal, solemn atmosphere reflects this cultural custom of the importance of worshiping ancestors, because it contributes to the sincerity of the procession, so that the performers can show their greatest honor and respect to the ghost of Confucius.


This procession also reflects the enormous importance of worshiping the deceased in Taiwanese culture; many Taiwanese, even if they do not claim to be Buddhist or even follow any religion at all, still worship and pray to their own ancestors. Some of my Taiwanese friends who attended this ceremony claimed to be atheists, but still burned incense for the sake of Confucius’s ghost. They believe that ghosts of the dead do exist and that they can influence the living world. Although this might seem contradictory, I have speculated over the relationship of worshiping the dead and religion in Taiwanese culture, and have come to the conclusion that there is no connection, which is unlike the Western notion of praying as solely a religious act. Further evidencing this idea, my own relatives in Taiwan are not religious but still pray at temples, whereas I still cannot make myself pray at Taiwanese temples because I feel that I am contradicting my atheism if I make such an action.


Furthermore, the traditional dress and instruments used in this performance reflect Taiwanese culture’s emphasis on the importance of history and heritage. There is a Chinese proverb, “飲水思源” (yin3 shui3 si4 yuan2), which can be translated to, “When you drink a glass of water, you must remember where the cup came from.” This proverb reminds us that we must remember our roots and the ancestors from which we came, which is a very important concept in Taiwanese culture. The ceremony’s music and dance has been passed down since the Ming Dynasty, and so the continuance of using traditional instruments and clothing indicates that we should remember where the custom’s roots.


The honoring of Confucius himself reflects the tremendous importance Taiwanese culture places on education. Taiwanese students, from the very beginning of their education, are under a tremendous amount of pressure to do well in school. From elementary school it is expected that after school, students also attend cram schools, so that a typical school-aged child will attend classes from morning until late night, six or even seven days a week. During junior high school, the pressure increases even more, as students must compete in high school entrance exams, and then later also in college entrance exams, which hugely influences their future chances of finding a stable career. In my own Chinese Language classes this past quarter, there was an entire chapter dedicated to explaining the process of entrance exams, and compared the examinees to “熱鐹上的螞蟻” (re4 guo3 shang4 de5 ma3 yi3), or, “ants on a hot pot,” with no where to seek safe refuge.


From the successful interpretation of these concepts, I can conclude from this report that Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model was a useful model as a basis for this study, because I was able to isolate certain behaviors, actions, and sounds that reflected specific concepts of the society in which it took place. I agree that society can shape the actions and behaviors of its people, and this case-study is a clear example. The ceremony was a success because the participants executed their concepts during the procession, and the crowd (as well as I) was sufficiently satisfied with the performance. Also, because the song and dance have remained the same over centuries, the participants knew how to carry out their actions and behaviors as to create a successful production. Thus, I conclude Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model accurately theorizes the production of music because it successfully acted as a guide that I could use as a basis for my study.





Friday, December 5, 2008

Essay: Taiwanese Aboriginal Music

Taiwanese Aboriginal Music


“When you lift your head to look at the moon, do you still feel moved? The words your ancestors spoke, are they still in your heart?”

-Biung (王宏恩), Moonlight (月光)

Throughout eons of change on this planet Earth, the moon’s daily path has remained a constant element in the night sky. The moon has thus in many societies become a symbol of eternity and solidarity – a constant, heavenly cycle that occurs regularly, regardless of the changes that mortal men inflict upon this Earth. For the aboriginal people of Taiwan, the greatest change in the past few centuries has been the influx of Europeans and mainlanders since the 1600’s. Since then, native Taiwanese aborigines have faced harsh discrimination and have struggled to preserve their traditional culture and identity. In the above lyrics, Biung, a Taiwanese aboriginal singer of the Bunan tribe, asks the people of his tribe to remember the importance of their own aboriginal identity by looking at the moon, because it is one timeless object that has passed over the Bunan people every night since they first appeared on Earth. It is an action that symbolizes that the memories of their past ancestors and traditionals will never be forgotten, and thus, their people’s identity will never perish.


Taiwanese aboriginals today face a society that considers them as low-class citizens. Their extent is now limited to the mountains and least-accessible portions of Taiwan, and few aborigine traditions and practices are existent in mainstream Taiwanese culture. However, as Taiwanese aborigines over the ages have been best known for their singing, creation of music, and dance, their performance of music has played an important role in the struggle for preservation of aborigine identity. From traditional aborigine to modern popular music, aborigines today use what they are best known for, song and dance, to spread knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of their culture to others.


To begin this discussion, a brief history of Taiwanese aborigines must be explained. The island of Taiwan is separated by the Fujian Province of mainland China by the Taiwan Strait. From 10,000 – 6,000 B.C., the ancestors of the people who are now considered Taiwanese aborigines immigrated to the island and settled in the western plains and central mountains, becoming the “lowlanders” and “highlanders,” respectively. These people spoke a language that is considered to be the very first Austronesian language, and began migrating to other Southeast Asian countries as well, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Polynesia, and others. It is speculated that before arriving in Taiwan, these people originally came from mainland China, but since no traces of the Austronesian language have been found in the mainland, it has not been completely accepted that China is the original homeland. Therefore, the people who settled in Taiwan during this time are considered the original inhabitants of the islands, or aborigines (Wikipedia “Taiwanese Aborigines”).


In the 1600’s, the Han Chinese began migrating to Taiwan as a result of a rebellion in China leading to the overthrow of the Ming Dynasty (Wikipedia). About the same time, the Dutch reached Taiwan and opened a branch of the Dutch East India Company in what is now Fort Anping, Tainan. Later, the Spanish also opened a trading fort in what is now Danshui, Taipei. This influx pushed many lowland tribes up into the mountains, and also many tribes began assimilating Han and European elements into their culture, both voluntarily as well as by force. Intermarriage and the desire for aborigines to be accepted in this new mixed society caused the sinicization of many aborigine languages, some of which are completely extinct now. The lowland tribes were the first tribes to become assimilated because of their accessibility by the foreigners, but the highlands tribes did not begin to become heavily influenced until the 1900’s, under influence of the Japanese rule and the KMT (Wikipedia “Taiwanese Aborigines”).


Under the influence of the foreign governments, the aborigine people were pushed further and further back both geographically and in terms of social status. They were referred to by the name of which means “barbarians.” Many different discrimination techniques were used to force the aborigines to gradually assimilate Han and European cultural practices. For example, from 1946-1995, there was an official ban on aboriginal surnames, and it was necessary for aborigines to marry and take on a Han surname in order to become a “legitimate” member of society. This is because in Chinese culture, a Han surname is a credible link to the Yellow Emperor, the emperor who is said to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese (Wikipedia “Yellow Emperor”). Most of the western lowland tribes are now nonexistent or reduced to a minimal population with no surviving spoken language. Aborigines today are still treated as low-class citizens, and only take part in a minimal percentage of Taiwanese governmental seats. Furthermore, in order for each tribe to gain official recognition by the Taiwanese government, they must go through an extensive petition to the Council of Indigenous Peoples, and so far only 14 out of 25 tribes have been successful. These restrictions and discriminations create hardships for the aborigine people in terms of every aspect of daily life. Recently, in the Taipei Times, there was an article describing A-mei aboriginals who had been forced to construct their homes out of abandoned materials outside of Taipei City because they could not afford to live in the city, only to be told by the government that their village must be demolished because it proposed a possible “flood threat” to other parts of Taipei (Iok-sin 1). Their people are constantly pushed to move from place to place, never able to settle into one stable lifestyle, and are merely seen as obstacles that can be gotten rid of if need be. Facing such societal discrimination, it is no wonder that the aborigines feel a need to educate others and spread an understanding of the importance behind their cultural identity.


However, the entire world is now facing an era of globalization and Westernization. How, in this drastically changing world, can the aborigine people conserve what their ancestors have passed down for generations? This is where their best-known talents, singing and dancing, come into play. In Taiwan, aborigines are considered the best singers and performers. Music and dancing is widely used during traditional celebrations and festivities, where all of the inhabitants participate, which is likely one reason why their talent for song and dance is so strong. Despite their discrimination, several aborigine pop singers have even managed to emerge as some of Asia’s hottest stars. Within their struggle to conserve their cultural identity, aborigines on one end of the spectrum try to preserve the traditional elements by continuing to perform traditional dances and music, educating others about the meanings, process, and stories behind these celebrations. On the other end of the spectrum, some aboriginal artists create a fusion of traditional and modern elements to create an aborigine-pop-fusion that appeals the younger mainstream society.


To clarify, the terms “traditional” and “traditional aborigine” music in Taiwan as used in this paper must be first explained to differentiate the two. It must be made clear that “traditional” and “aboriginal” music are not synonymous. Generally speaking, “traditional” Taiwanese music was created by people of Han descent, including sounds, structures, and instruments from mainland China or from the Han who first settled in Taiwan. This “traditional” music would be music passed on throughout the Han people for generations until the present. In contrast, “aborigine” music is created by people of aboriginal descent, and “traditional aborigine” music has been passed down by their ancestors (as opposed to the Han people). In addition to traditional aborigine music, there is also a classification of “pop aborigine” music, which comprises of a fusion of traditional aborigine sounds as well as Han or Westernized sounds. Popular aborigine music originated from the influence of outside cultures on aborigine sounds, and currently is used as a means of gaining ground in the mainstream Taiwanese culture in terms of social acceptance and appreciation.


Perhaps the most famous type of traditional aborigine music in the world of musicology is the eight-tone improvised polyphonic music of the Bunun tribe, “ba bu he yin” (八部合音) in Mandarin (literally, “eight-part combined sounds”). With respect to other aborigine tribes, the Bunun tribe has very few different types of dance and music because they have no unique instruments of their own, but their tribe’s musical specialty is an improvised harmony of eight different pitches sung at once to create one giant, complex chord. Each singer listens carefully to the pitches of the singers around him, and sings his or her own tone so that it best matches the tones of others. This type of singing is completely unique to the Bunan tribe. The Bunun people originally lived in the northwestern plains of Taiwan, but were pushed further and further east across the mountains and into the eastern coasts of Taiwan, and their people have diminished to such few numbers that their unique polyphonic singing is close to extinction. However, because this music is such a popular topic of study for musicologists, hopefully with their efforts as well as our own efforts to appreciate their singing, the Bunun people will continue to carry on this rare and unique musical tradition.


Because aborigine festivals in their purest, most traditional forms are relatively rare and difficult to come across, I interviewed my roommate, who is a native Taiwanese, about a celebration that she had attended and taken part in. The celebration took place in the far-eastern part of Taiwan where the largest aboriginal tribe live, the A-mei tribe (阿美族). The interview questions (which were translated from Mandarin) are as followed:


  1. What are some major aborigine festivals or holidays?
  2. Where and when do they take place?
  3. What stories are connected to these celebrations?
  4. How are these celebrations carried out?
  5. Are these celebrations related to religion?
  6. What kind of music and dance accompany these celebrations?
  7. Are there any types of special instruments used in the music and dance?
  8. How often do you listen to aborigine music?
  9. Are there any particular aborigine artists that you listen to?

My interviewee ended described in detail the Harvest Festival (豐年祭) of the A-mei tribe, which took place in the summer of last year. Generally, the festival can take place anywhere from July to September, usually lasting for about three days. The festival is an annual celebration to offer food and goods to gods that once plagued the land with unfortunate circumstances, in order to please them so that they may have an abundant year of fish and millet to harvest. The festivities that my interviewee participated in consisted of dancing, singing, and drinking alcohol, for three days and three nights.

The members of the tribe wore traditional clothing, the main color being red, with shells and bells sewn onto the cloth, and often having very brightly colored decorations. Also, a person having a higher status would have more elaborate outfits with more decorations. The tribe performed a group dance with all members forming consecutive rings, with the oldest and most important members closest to the center. This arrangement reflects the importance of hierarchy in their society. The tribe leader as well as the oldest tribe members sat in chairs, comprising the innermost circle, and in general men comprised the inner circles while women comprised the outer circles. However, this arrangement seems to contradict the tribe’s matriarchal society, for it seems that the women would stand closer to the center. There must be an alternate explanation for this arrangement. Also, the men and women were divided by age, with the older people standing closer to the center and the younger people standing further out. The participants hold hands with the two people on either side of them to form rings of people. Other participants standing outside this dance formation play drums and other forms of percussion (although specific types of instruments were not mentioned).


When the music first began, the tribe leader acted as the lead singer and the rest of the participants would echo his melody, and the dancers swung their hands back and forth while stepping to one side in order to make the circle of people rotate. The call-and-echo structure of the songs also reflects the hierarchical society of the tribe, with the tribe leader having the first and most important voice. The tempo of the songs was moderately fast and carried a steady, unchanging beat. Additionally, one or two other people would move throughout the dance formation offering dancers alcohol that they poured into the same cup, and if offered, the dancer would have to immediately drink the entire cup in one gulp. There were many different songs performed, but mostly each song was composed of the same repeating melody. Finally, the men wear bags on their shoulders that they can offer to the women. The offer is seen as a sign of marriage proposal, and the woman can decide whether to accept or decline. My interviewee herself was able to participate in the dancing, but because her clothes were not traditional, the participants preferred that she stood in the outermost ring.


Song and dance such as the Harvest Festival celebrations and the polyphonal music of the Bunun tribe are such examples of traditional music that aborigines are attempting to keep alive. The recent movements to conserve aborigine practices such as these have caused traditional musical performing groups to form. These groups cater to the Taiwanese majority, performing in concert halls that are far from the traditional villages and landscapes in which they originally took place. Currently, the most successful aboriginal performing musical group is the Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe, comprised of young aborigine dancers and singers who perform traditional dances of their tribes such as tribal legend dances, love dances, rite of passage dances, war dances, daily work dances, and so on, striving to show people what has been passed down by their ancestors for thousands of years (Yi 1). The Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe was created in 1991, and since their debut has gained so much success that they have been invited to perform in countries all over the world.


Additionally, my interviewee expressed that she does not listen to aborigine music on a regular basis, but does listen to aborigine pop stars such as A-mei (阿美) of the Puyama tribe and Biung (王宏恩) of the Bunan tribe. A-mei sings in Mandarin, whereas Biung sings in the Bunun aboriginal language. There are also several aborigine music radio stations available; however, my interviewee expressed that she would “probably not” listen to the radio stations on a regular basis because she does not understand aborigine dialects; thus, another question that comes to mind is the difficulty in preserving an aborigine culture when their dialects are not practical for mainstream societal use. However, with Biung’s popularity, he has obviously overcome this barrier, although it seems that A-mei’s name is more widely recognized than Biung’s, especially among the high school and college populations.


Aborigine-pop-fusion style music provides a medium in which people of the mainstream society can more easily appreciate aborigine sounds and elements but still enjoy the style of popular music that they are more accustomed to. To many, pure aboriginal chants and songs may sound too foreign to their ears to completely accept. However, by combining styles, the end result is a set of sounds that might feel more comfortable to the listener. For example, in Biung’s Moonlight, he combines his own vocal melody, sung in Bunun dialect, with guitar accompaniment, a Western instrument. Also, most aboriginal chants tend to repeat the same phrase or phrases, but Biung’s Moonlight is in an AAB1B2A song format (sung twice, separated by a bridge), which is the most common format for Western pop songs.


In Biung’s Moonlight, he sings about needing to hold on to memories of the past in times of loss or despair. The original lyrics of the song were translated into Chinese in the album booklet, which I have translated into English below:


Even though we have lost our dependence

We must still feel happy

Because we still have the moon.

Even though we lost the place where we have a foothold

We must still feel comfort

Because we still have hope.

In you heart there is still some meaning.

In your heart there is still a slip of memory.

When you lift your head to look at the moon, are you still moved?

The words your ancestors spoke, are they still in your heart?


Biung’s words are a message to his people, that in these times of drastic change, they must not forget the roots and history from which they come. They must cherish their traditions, their cultures, their dignity, for it is what makes up their very being. They must not forget their ancestors and the practices that have been handed down for millennia. His words encourage a sense of pride in their aboriginal heritage, in opposition to the harsh discrimination against their identity that they may receive. His words are also a message to the rest of the Taiwanese population, as well as to the rest of the world, that no matter how much oppression and discrimination they have received, they will not forget the roots from which they came. Biung’s song is made of simple melody and composition, but yet, its meaning is deep with the pain and struggle of the aborigine people.


In conclusion, music, which is naturally an essential element in the lives of Taiwanese aborigines, has now become a medium for promoting the preservation of aborigine identity. It is not only an inherited tradition, it is also means for communication to the outside world. The aborigines have applied this method successfully to a certain degree, as evidenced by the influence of aborigine music in Taiwanese pop culture, as well as the success of cultural performance groups such as the Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe. However, the most important lesson that we can glean from this study is that the responsibility does not solely rely on the aborigine population to preserve their culture, but on each non-aboriginal as well, for we must learn to look past the stereotypes and negative images that are created. Instead of looking down on differences from what we know, we must learn to appreciate and understand them, and only then can the aborigine population achieve success in their endeavor for self-preservation. The duty lies on each and every one of us.



Bibliography

“Taiwanese Aborigines.” 19 Nov. 2008. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. [Accessed 31 Nov. 2008] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_aborigine>.

“Yellow Emperor.” 30 Nov. 2008. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. [Accessed 31 Nov. 2008]

Iok-sin, Loa. “Aborigines Protest Demolition Notice.” Taipei Times. 13 Nov. 2009.

Yi, Ho. “Preserving the Bounty of Taiwan's Tribal Heritage.” Taipei Times. Oct 20, 2006. [Accessed 1 Dec. 2008] <http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/10/20/2003332645>


Video Links:


Polyphonal music of the Bunan tribe

Harvest festival of the A-mei tribe in Hualien, Taiwan

Music video of Biung's "Moonlight"