Text and Image by Na’U 圖／文
在一片黑暗中，人手一把乾竹，在耆老和被推選的「臨時頭目」帶領下，沿著山路小徑摸黑往「水火同源」聖地取火。「水火同源」位在茶山部落3公里外的屯阿巴娜步道上，不分晝夜始終燃燒著。老村長李玉燕說，從她兒時起，這火未曾熄滅，只在八八風災後，一度淹沒水中。
In darkness we followed the village elders, led by an impromptu chieftain. Each with a bundle of bamboo cuttings, we gingerly made our way along a narrow mountain path toward a “water-and-fire spring” to fetch fire. This sacred fount is on the Tun’abana Trail about 3 kilometers from the Cha-Shan tribal village. There a fire burns continuously [fueled by a natural gas seep into the freshwater spring]. According to the village’s elderly mayor, Li Yu-yen (李玉燕), the fire has gone out only once since she was a young child, during Typhoon Morakot in 2009 when waters swelled and the flames were swept under.
茶山村位於台灣嘉義縣阿里山鄉的「珈雅瑪」, CaYaMaVana 為鄒族原住民語古名，意指為「山腰上的平原」。隨處可見的涼亭，是茶山最大特色， 每戶門口搭建的木雕門板各異其趣，從圖騰刻劃是獵人揹山豬、或是戴斗笠耕作，就能研判家屋是屬於哪個族群。從小就生長在茶山的老村長說明，鄒族以前習俗室內葬，屋內不得喧譁干擾祖靈，因此各種喜慶及狩獵分享都在屋外涼亭舉行。鄒族以「分享」精神維繫部落，過去一旦有人捕獲獵物帶回部落，不是只供自己家人吃，而是邀請全部落一起分享 。每年年底，茶山部落舉辦「涼亭節」，傳承鄒族的分享文化，並將這份獨特的分享文化發揚給更多人感受了解。
In the Alishan mountain range of Taiwan’s Jia-Yi County, the village of Cha-Shan is nestled in a CaYaMaVana, a Tsou tribal dialect term referring to a mountain dell. Scattered about the village are its distinctive open-air pavilions. Each village dwelling displays rich and varied carvings on its wooden doors. The totem-like carvings reveal the family’s ancestry, such as a hunter carrying a wild boar on his back, or a toiling farmer wearing a sun hat. The mayor, who grew up in the village, explained that in the old days Tsou people kept the remains of their dead within the family abode. To avoid disturbing the ancestors in their eternal slumber, outdoor pavilions were built specifically to host communal feasts in celebration of holidays or successful hunts. The spirit of sharing is fundamental to Tsou tribal alliance and connections. In the past, bounty from hunting expeditions was brought home not only to feed one’s own, but also to share with the entire village. Nowadays, at the end of each year the Cha-Shan tribe holds a “Pavilion Festival” to express a sharing spirit at once unique and important to the tribal culture, and in so doing promotes wider understanding of its cultural heritage.
2016年的茶山涼亭節，特別設計「珈雅瑪尋寶地圖」，讓民眾以「闖關探險」的方式認識茶山！八個關卡有愛玉、茶葉、黑糖、小米粥、麻糬、苦茶油、脆筍、咖啡，全是茶山部落的在地農產！各站主人在涼亭內準備了好料來熱情招待，平時寧靜的部落山徑，因為成群結隊的遊客如織，而熱鬧滾滾。探險的驚奇、人情的友善、滿足的笑容，吃飽喝足的肚子以及手上採購的袋袋農產；每一站的味蕾記憶與人情趣味，都是分享文化的極致表現！而除了分享精神的體驗之外，夜遊茶山最神秘的活動，就是「向天神取火」！
Cha-Shan’s 2016 Pavilion Festival featured a CaYaMaVana treasure hunt! A treasure map marked the route. Following clues to advance through various challenges, the visiting participants reached “stops” where they experienced what the region has to offer. There were eight stops altogether: fig jelly, tea, brown sugar, millet gruel, rice pudding, camellia oil, bamboo tenders and coffee, all locally grown and produced. At each stop, a host prepared free treats to entertain the participants. The usually quiet mountain footpaths saw group after group of animated visitors streaming through. The adventure yielded surprises, good cheer and contented smiles, and concluded with many a full stomach and sacks of local specialties. The tribe’s sharing culture was alive and well, one could testify, remembering the taste and enjoyment at all the stops along the way! Having partaken of its generosity, we were ever more intrigued come nightfall by Cha-Shan’s mysterious ceremony—a quest for fire.
鄒族的取火儀式源自於「大洪水」的神話故事！傳說大洪水滅熄了所有火源，大地陷入黑暗，於是召集所有動物，選拔勇士跋涉遙遠路程向天神取火！自告奮勇的紅嘴黑鵯原本全身艷麗，卻功敗垂成，因此羽毛燒到焦黑、喙嘴跟雙腳被燒紅，而變成今天的模樣！最後是不起眼的麻雀，以驚人速度完成任務，雖然嘴被燒短了，不過依照事前約定，可以世代食用人類種植的小米，因此現在田野間常見牠們身影！
The fire ceremony originated from tribal legends about the Great Flood. As legends tell it, the earth fell into utter darkness after the Flood extinguished every fire. All the animals were summoned together to select a brave adventurer who could journey to the Creator on a mission to retrieve fire. The first volunteer was a black bulbul songbird. He did not succeed, alas, and his formerly resplendent plumage did not survive the journey either. His feathers were singed and scorched and his beak and feet were burnt to a ruby red, and that’s the reason black bulbuls now look the way they do. In the end it was a lowly house sparrow who accomplished the mission, thanks to her stunning speed. The sparrow’s truncated beak was a casualty from carrying the fiery cargo. As an agreed-upon reward, generation after generation of sparrows have been welcome to feed on humans’ millet crops and to this day they can be seen darting and swooping over the cultivated fields.
一邊聆聽著傳統神話故事，所有人在黑暗中前進，抵達取火處時，隊員圍成半圓形，由「臨時頭目」先行點火，再分火給其他同行者！當火由一而十根根點燃時，溫暖的光亮慢慢擴大，逐漸消退黑夜籠罩的寂寥與恐懼。全數點燃後，列隊循原路返回，展現不忘本與同舟共濟的精神。一路上，每個人小心翼翼守護著手上的珍貴火源，以確保不熄滅！隊友說，相較於現在用電太容易!這趟路讓人感受到過去的人為了生活，同心協力尋找火源的辛苦與努力，過程中也感受原住民族對大自然的尊重，因此對台灣的原住民族有了更深一層的認識與學習！
Still in pitch blackness we continued along the path listening to the unfolding stories of a mythical past. Finally reaching the “water-and-fire spring,” the group stood in a semicircle. The chieftain was the first to light his kindling, and with it he went around and lit the bundles of bamboo cuttings we each held. One, then two, then three… a heart-warming glow swelled as more flames were ignited and gradually dispelled the feeling of loneliness and dread that hovered around the edges of dark night. With burning torches along the entire column, we retraced our steps while pondering our common roots in renewed camaraderie. On the way back, each of us fussed over the precious flame to make sure it did not go out! One participant wondered aloud that modern electricity had made it all too easy. This evening was a welcome experience. It helped appreciate bygone hardships and the amount of communal effort it took to procure fire, to stay alive. At the same time we gained a deeper understanding of the native Taiwanese people and their reverence for Nature.
順利將寶貴的火源護送回來，終於讓陷於黑暗的大地重現光亮，現場所有人張開雙手開心圍舞進行感恩儀式！
Finally, light returned to the Flood-darkened earth! Under our watchful eyes, the precious fire was brought back to the village where everyone welcomed us with open arms. In high spirits they then formed a circle to dance in a ritual of gratitude.
Translated by Wen Si-ding 溫思定 譯
ISSEY 苹果一生 