Articles and Stories - ATAYAL - The worldwide voice of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan

Yami Legend of the Founding of Hungtou Village

By Unknown

In ancient times people lived by the sea. One day a pregnant woman and an old lady went to the seashore together to get water. But for some reason the water kept receding as the women went forward. The pregnant woman first ran and then squatted down to rest. There she discovered a white rock, and from beneath the rock came a constant stream of water. After the women had moved the rock with some difficulty, scooped up water, and prepared to return home, the flow of water from under the rock increased until it was like a fountain. The water flowed after the women and overwhelmed them. Afterwards the tide continued to rise and swallow the village and fields. Finally almost all of the island was under the water, and only Wangnan peak and Fangnan peak emerged from the waves.

Only a few people managed to escape to the mountains. Even though these lucky few had survived the flood, the pigs, goats, chickens, and mice had all drowned, and the mountain had no land on which to grow crops. With nothing to eat, the people gradually began starving to death. A brother and sister caught lice in each other's hair and shared them with the other people. It turned out that people who ate the heads of the lice died, but those who ate the tails of the lice survived. After four years the sea had still not receded, and the only people left alive was a husband and wife. The wife was pregnant.

In the eighth year a large quantity of pebbles and luminous shells appeared on the mountain. In the ninth year the woman--who had still not given birth--discovered a mouse. The woman divided the mouse into two pieces, threw one half into the sea, and prayed that the mouse's tail would drink up all the sea water and make the land reappear. The woman's prayer was answered and the sea indeed gradually retreated, although it took another ten years before the sea had gone back to its original position. The couple lingered on the mountaintop for another year, and only went back down to the flatlands after they had made sure there was water to drink. From that time on the mountain again became covered with lush forests and shrubs.

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