The Bunun Tribe

BY: Jason, Ben, and William

Information

• The Bunun live in the mountainous regions of central Taiwan.

They are patrilineal, have strong family bonds, and practice the
extraction of certain front teeth as a sign of social identity as well
as adulthood. The Bunun are good singers and often sing when
working. Their harmonic skills are beautiful and elegant, and
they impressed the world with their "Millet Harvest Song" at an
international ethnic music convention in 1953.
• They a population of approximately 45,000 people
• They have 5 distinct sub-tribes, the Takbunuaz, the Takibaka,
the Isbukun, the Takivatan, and the Takituduh. Present day
Bunun still live in village units, but unfortunately many of the
younger generations are drawn to the big cities searching for
jobs.
 Origin

 In the past, after the harvest season, the Bunun men would
hunt for seven days. When they brought the prey back to the
village, they would celebrate the Malahadisa (Ear Hitting
Ritual) that was held once a year. Malahadisa (Ear Hitting
Ritual) was the biggest ceremony in the Bunun tribe, with
social, cultural, family, economic, military, political, and
educational functions. The ritual included major events such
as the sprinkling rite, hunting, ear shooting rite, barbecuing
pork, splitting the pork, spear rite, honor rite, and wizard
rite.

Activities

 According to the tradition, the ceremony was held at the home of the
warrior that had hunted the most prey in the year. After the shaman prayed
to the ancestors' spirits, the ritual would begin. The elders in the tribe would
"blow the ears" of the young children, begging that all of them would grow
up safely. Then, they continued to teach the young children how to shoot
the meat with bows and arrows, training them to become good archers.
Meanwhile, the adults would put on the traditional clothes to carry out the
"ear shooting" ceremony. They shot the deer ears to worship abundant
gains in hunting, a good harvest in farming, and affluence in trade in the
next year. After the government forbade hunting.
 The Bunun people no longer used deer ears. Now, they use a paper target
instead. The hunters participating in the spear rite should cleanse their
bodies piously. At the beginning, the shaman would light the fire on the
ground, and then the hunter would hold the spear and wave it over the fire.
As the rite was completed, the Bunun warriors would gather and go
hunting. From time to time, they would find the prey very soon. After they
took the prey back to the tribe, they formed a circle around the prey and
toasted each other with millet wine. When they were drinking the wine,
they would chant their genealogy and hunting experiences in a high tone to
 celebrate their accomplishments. As the honor rite was completed, the
elders would lead the chorus to chant the "Prayer for a Bountiful Millet
Harvest Song", which was the famous "eight-bar chorus" of the Bunun
people.

Location

THE
BUNUN
TRIBE’S
LOCATION