Page 6 - 《原YOUNG—青少年雜誌期刊》113期

部落傳說
Origin of Atayal skills of life, farming, and dream interpretation

Heaven-sent Gaga

Teacher

A long time ago, an Atayal tribe chief was on his way to fish in
the river one early morning, when he saw a baby girl lying on the

ground. She was crying and clearly abandoned. He took her home

and raised her as his own. He named her Rimuy.
As time went by, Rimuy grew into a cute, clever girl. She spoke
well by the age of three, and was good at persuading others by six.

Before long, she began to teach people farming skills, including
terrace farming, which the Atayal still practice today. She also

taught people how to offer wine and meat to ancestral spirits
and pray for safety. For example, one should offer drops of wine

to ancestral spirits with their index finger before drinking the rest.
In the mountains, one should avoid joking or talking nonsense;

apologize to the mountain gods and ancestor spirits if a child does
so; and alert local spirits before relieving oneself.

Rimuy interpreted hunters' dreams before their mountain
hunts, and flight direction and sounds of birds, namely grey-

cheeked fulvettas, upon the hunters' departure. For example, flies
in the hunt leader's dream would means coming home with many

animals; tribesmen slashing each other in the mountains mean
conflicts with wild animals (and that it'd be better to call off the

hunt); and a chase by a snake also means danger.
Rimuy was so accurate and reliable that people asked her for

advice on any matter, big or small. For example, a grey-cheeked
fulvetta flying near with a sudden scream is a bad sign for a

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@௅ໝෂႭ JOEE
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