consult them on all important occasions.
They have a firm belief in ghosts, and consider them as spirits condemned for a certain
time to an intermediary state, and thus fitting mediums between this world and the other.
Their ideas of an after state are confused and vague. Their heaven they place towards
the far North, and think it is a beautiful hunting ground, filled with the pleasant things of this world., Hell is understood by them more in the sense of a purgatory, and they do not think that the
punishments inflicted are very severe. They - have no gods or idols, nor have they any definite idea of a supreme being. They believe more in fate, and their incantations are not for the purpose of prayer or
intercession, but to obtain from the spirits a forecast of the future. The witches or
priestesses are adepts in ambiguity, and excuse the equivocal character of their oracles
on the ground that the human mind is deficient in comprehension. They pay due regard to omens, among which sneezing is classed as one of the worst. If a Paiwan had to go twenty miles, and had
reached the nineteenth, he would return home if he heard a sneeze. This is only out
of doors; inside a dwelling it is not considered of any importance. They have also
a dim belief in the transmigration of souls, and are inclined to think that some souls
are, as a mild punishment for minor misdeeds, condemned to pass into certain
animals, where they remain for a time.
Dogs and poultry are more especially supposed to be the temporary habitations of
spirits, and although they have no scruple in rearing poultry for the market, yet they
will never eat any kind of poultry themselves. Pork was also forbidden food, but
of late years intermixture with the Chinese oaused them to break through this as well
as many other traditional restraints. The Paiwans formed at one time a strong
confederation; in every tribe the word of the chief was law. The celebrated
chief Tokitok went further, and entered into alliances with the Tipuns and Deks,
even having the hardihood to open negotiations and exchange visits with the dreaded
Diarotnaks. After his death the confederation broke up into several smaller combinations,
the most noted of which are following. The Tierasocks are a well ordered community,
among whom the members of the ruling family—whose power is now reduced
to little more than friendly arbitration —reside. The Botans are a most turbulent
tribe who set all laws at defiance.
It was against this tribe alone that the Japanese expedition operated and administered
a well deserved chastisement. This tribe can only produce about 50) warriors, but
they derive prestige from their occupying an almost impregnable city, built in the mountains.
The Japanese took it by stratagem. Engaging the Botans on the usual road with
part of their forces, they sent the remainder with Hakka guides, to scale the mountain
on the other side. The Botans, secure in the foreigners' ignorance of the roads, only
thought of the forces in their front, when they suddenly beheld the smoke of their
city, which the Japanese had fired. They at once lost all courage, and surrendered unconditionally.
The Koaluts, a small but predatory tribe, who occupy the grounds around South Cape. They made themselves notorious some 20 years ago, by murdering the captain and crew of.a shipwrecked barque,
and also the captain's wife. They were indefatigable head hunters, and the terror
of Chinese sailors, whose junks were sometimes driven on their coast, in which cases
the crew were mercilessly murdered. Now, however, the Koaluts are surrounded by
guard stations, and are becoming absorbed among by the Chinese settlers. The Limwans
are a docile tribe which inhabitated S.W. Cape, and the plain where the district
city of Heng-chun is now built. Within the last thirteen years, this tribe has been completely
absorbed by the Chinese, whose ways and manners they at once adopted. These
four tribes now shave the head and wear a queue. The Subongs, the northerly division
of the Paiwans, occupy territory near Tang Kang. This tribe may be called absolutely
independent. They can muster over 2,000 warriors, are noted head hunters, and
still indulge in the practice. They wear their hair cropped short and retain all their
ancient characteristics.
The Paiwans are very careless with their children, the result being that many die in
infancy, and they are content that only the strongest should survive. This accounts for
their splendid physique; still they have not the stamina of an average European, and
are decidedly inferior in real strength. A woman may be assisted by other females
at the birth of her first child, but in after labours manages everything herself,
with such help as her husband may be able to give. As a rule the child is suckled until
it is two years of age; afterwards it gets the same food as its elders. Children, only
three years old, may be seen chewing betel nut, smoking tobacoo, and, worse still, drinking
samshu to intoxication. The betel and tobacco did not apparently do much harm ;
but since the art of brewing has been learnt from the Chinese, arrack has become an
article of daily consumption. Tender children are allowed to consume as much as they
please, with lamentable effect, as it appears to stunt their growth, and causes a dropsical
distension of the abdomen. A child allowed to drink this liquor seldom attains
the age of 15. Unless this habit is given up, the race will have but a short existence.
When a son and heir is born, the father keeps open house for all comers. The women
seldom bear more than five children; boys and girls are equally weloome, and are born
in about equal proportion. The marriage customs of the Paiwans are somewhat peculiar, but at the same time sensible. The young men go courting, and when one has in due course obtained the
consent of his particular choice, he forthwith proceeds to carry a bucket of water,
and a bundle of fire-wood, which he places before the fair one's door. When the parents
of the young lady are agreeable, the wood and water is taken in ; if the reverse,
it is allowed to stand. When the parentsconsent, a great feast is given, and thechief
of the village declares the couple man and wife; but when the parents prove unwilling,
the young man must try to propitiate them by presents, and if this has no effect, then
his only resource is to persuade the girl to elope; the parents cannot prevent her, the
law being that all are free to marry whom they please, and no one except the chief can
interfere. The young wife goes to her husband's home, and becomes one of his family;
but she can visit her old home whenever she likes, and none of the old ties of affection
are supposed to be severed.
As a rule, the young men never leave the ancestral home. When a young man marries,
a room is set apart for his private use; in all other respects his status in the family
remains unaltered. The head of the house holds every thing in trust for the mutual
benefit of the whole family, and serves out money, clothing, implements of the chase,
war, or husbandry, as occasion requires. Succession is strictly in the male line. The
eldest son as a rule succeeds the father, but the latter can change this at his pleasure,
by appointing another son or a nephew to succeed him. The old men are greatly respeoted,
and well oared for in their declining years.
Immediately after death the body is sewn up in a buffalo skin. In some spot near the
dwelling, tabooed to all except members of the family, a grave is dug, and lined with four
slabs of stone. The clothes, ornaments, and arms of the deceased are laid in the grave,
and then the corpse is placed in a sitting position, facing towards the nearest high
mountains. The •chist' is covered by another stone slab, and the grave is filled up
and turfed over. In a few years its particular place is forgotten; but once a year,
sacrifices are made in the burying ground to the manes of all the departed.
The Paiwans generally prefer hunting and fishing to agricultural pursuits : but at
the same time the latter are not altogether the advent of Chinese,
prior to the arrival of Dutch settlers traditional accounts of which will be
fully related further on), the principal products of tho soil were rice, millet, coarse
millet, sweet potatoes, taro, yams, peas, sugar cane, bananas, and tobacao.
They have two harvests in a year; men and women then work in the fields alike,
and if occasion requires are capable of great exertion. The favourite diet is fish or
n, with rice or barley ; only when any prevails, they become for the time being strict vegetarins. The rice as by Chinese ; but barley is first and then boiled into a sort of potare built of sun-dried bricks and
thatched over. The outer surface of the are protected from the rain by a g of spilit bamboo, and this lining, being sot about six inches from the bricks, leaves air space which renders the dwellings
y cool in summer. Outside and everything is always clean and neat, the committing of a naisance near a dwelling being strictly prohibited.
As a rule their clothing consists of two short aprous, one before and one behind; if on the war path, they add to this a white tied so as to leave the two ends behind ; but on great festive
on gala dresses of red cloth, profusely bespangled with silver bangles and i their cloth
a good lather and answers the Their principal ornaments are silver bracelets, and silver straps for their pouches, j being inlaid with rare Earrings are round, and in size and ilar to a 12 bore cartridge wad.
can be inserted. This earring is the true mark of pure aboriginal descent; half castes or Chinese are not allowed to wear them, The silver, of which their ornaments are made-, although known to them for a long time, has always been imported. At the present time Chinese silver-smiths make
these ornaments, but in former days the s themselves knew how to work in As far back as their traditions extend, iron has been known and wrought. Where it came from no one can tell; all they can
say is that it was very soft. Iron pyrites abound, and Hakkas have sometimes made attempts at smelting, bat without success, Agricultural implements have been introduced by the Chinese in great variety; formerly the mattock alone was used.
Among the Paiwans skin diseases are rare, and, until smallpox was lately introduced, for which they blame the Jathere were no special or deadly known. Of course many deaths were caused by accidents, the chase, wars, and bites of venemous reptiles; but beyond this and excepting a few who were cut off in their youth by consumption, the majority died of aid age* For a long time the population has remained stationary, and it is considered beet that it should be so. For instance the
Koalut tribe consider their maximum number to be one hundred warriors ; rather than exceed this, they would kill a few infants ; the saying being that, whenever their tribe increases beyond the traditional limit, they are certain to be visited by a pestiis gradually expanded, until the The Paiwans have suffered severely from smallpox, which at one time broke out regularly once a year, and the people tried to save themselves by flying to the mountains.
Later on Chinese impostors went and practised incoulation, or pretended to vaccinate.
Dr. Myers, of Takow, has now, however, sent circulars around, warning both the settlers
and savages, and has at his own expense supplied the foreigners at South Cape Light house with vaccine lymph, and there daily many Chinese and savages are vaccinated gratuitously. Dr. Myers has even gone farther, and offered to treat free of charge all aborigines who may care to visit
his hospital; this will win the lasting gratitude of this grateful but neglected people.
They have but little in the way of medicines, their pharmacopoca being limited to an infusion of citron peel for general malaise, and an infusion of an astringent root for swellings of the glands. Snake
bites are treated by professional suckers, who charge no small fee for their services,
which are generally successful. When an infectious disease prevails, a strict quarantine is established, the mountain paths are barricaded, and no intercourse is permitted between the different villages or tribes, A death,—-particularly from any infectious disease, and likewise in some cases from
common causes,—is considered an unpropitious omen, and none of the bereaved will visit their neighbours until the latter have that they did not consider the death reflected discredit on the household.
The most glorious death of ail is to be killed in the endeavour to capture by clasping a wounded boar, A ring of young hunters will form around ,the thicket ia which one of these animals,
perhaps badly wounded, has taken refuge, and narrowing the circle compel the boar to break cover. The animal attempts to dash through, but none of the young men give way ; they rather press closer on, and happy is the young warrior over whom the boar tries to rush; regardless of consequences be
throws himself on the animal, clasping him where he can with hands and knees, while the others rush in, and with their knives quickly despatch the brute. Sometimes hunters receive fearful wounds; none ever escape altogether, and to at least oae fourth the result is fatal ;• but they laugh to scorn
any attempt to dissuade them, saying, 'Will not his name be remembered in the songs of the tribe ?'
G. TAYLOR.