Arts & Culture

A journey into the indigenous heartland

Goedhart, his wife and Rukai elders touch the tribe's sacred reretan. (CNA)

• Publication Date：02/20/2009
• By  Ellen Ko

In a scene steeped with emotion and history, 14 Dutch families stood in front of the Rukai Great Chieftain's home in mountainous Jilu Village Feb. 9 and listened as members of the tribe chanted a special welcome: "Your homeland is in Naruwan, and my homeland is in Naruwan. We were family at one time, and now we are family once again."

Led by Menno Goedhart, head of the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office in Taiwan, the group made their way from northern Taiwan to this remote place, 1,511 meters above sea level in Pintung County. The purpose of their visit was to watch Goedhart and his wife Ingrid being welcomed into the indigenous group and given Rukai names.

"I have visited this tribe five or six times and every time I stayed at the same local guesthouse," Goedhart said. "But I didn't know that the hostess was a Rukai princess until about three months ago. What surprised me more is her Dutch heritage. From all accounts, Princess Ullun is the fifth-generation descendant of a mixed-blood Dutchman," he added.

According to Great Chieftain Queiyi, more than 100 years ago, a man of Dutch blood married a Rukai princess and became leader of the tribe. Known as "Mumu Dakanow," which translates as "grandfather Dakanow," he was regaled by the Rukai for his wise and benevolent leadership. In fact, tribal elders can still cite many of his heroic deeds today. "He fed the hungry, protected the weak, and took everyone under his wing," Queiyi said.

Goedhart, who over the past few years has traveled the island studying aboriginal culture and searching for vestigial traces of Dutch colonial rule (1624-1662), was overjoyed to accept Ullun's invitation to become an honorary Rukai. Excited to learn of blood relations between the two peoples, he explained that as a result of intermarriage during the Dutch colonial period in Taiwan, the Rukai, and Tsou tribe in central Taiwan--who number around 10,000 and 7,000 respectively--are believed to be the island's two indigenous groups with the closest ties to the Dutch.

For the Dutch visitors, their arrival in Jilu was one to remember. Locals dressed in traditional Rukai clothing, many over 60 years of age, assembled en masse and sang a harmonious tribal song as a way of welcoming their guests. "I had no idea what they were singing, but it was beautiful and touching," a Dutch guest said.

In accordance with Rukai custom, Goedhart offered a pig to Queiyi and the tribal elders as tribute. Traditional dances were then performed around the swine before it was slaughtered. Goedhart and his wife were then presented with headdresses, clothing and millet--the tribe's most important crop. The event reached its climax after both were invited to touch the reretan--a sacred clay pot decorated with images of hundred-pace snakes that is believed to house this aboriginal people's spiritual ancestors.

To the Rukai, the reretan is the holiest of relics and is rarely touched by anyone except the great chieftain. "Allowing Goedhart and his wife to touch the vessel symbolizes approval of their tribal membership by our ancestors," an elder said.

At the ceremony's close, an elder announced the Dutch couple's Rukai names. As a sign of respect, Goedhart was named "Dakanow" and his wife, "Lavosu," which means "dew on green leaves," implying that the bearer is a beautiful and tender woman. The villagers immediately broke into a repeated chorus of "Dakanow! Lavosu!" to signal their approval.

Describing the event as the third historic encounter between the Dutch and the Rukai in Taiwan (the first 400 years ago when the Dutch first arrived on the island and the second a century ago when Mumu Dakanow ruled over the Rukai), Goedhart stated that he was honored to accept the tribal membership bestowed upon him. "This is the start of a very good exchange, as well as the beginning of my responsibility to the Rukai," he said. "I know that belonging to this tribe is not just for one day, but for a lifetime."

In addition to a red envelope with "lucky money" inside, NTIO employees presented the tribe with gifts, including blankets, tulip-patterned scarves, French wine and Dutch beer. Some visitors prepared stationery and toys for Rukai children, only to find that most young people had moved to urban areas.

The Czech Republic representative to Taiwan, Jaroslav Dolecek, who was among the group that traveled to Jilu, described the trip as an eye-opening experience. "I just couldn't resist attending an interesting event like this," he said. "In my opinion, no one in Taipei's diplomatic circle knows Taiwan and its culture like Menno."

Goedhart, who became the Netherlands representative to Taiwan in the summer of 2002, explained that not having any prior experience of Asia did not deter him from asking for the job. "I had heard so many amazing things about Taiwan from friends, so I wanted to find out myself," he said.

Before taking up his appointment, Goedhart spent a week in Taipei getting to know his staff and the city that he and his wife would soon call home. "Though time constraints only permitted me to tour around the capital, what I saw and heard was enough to know that I had made the right choice," he said.

After six years in the job, the de facto Dutch ambassador remains smitten with Taiwan and has requested a two-year extension to his term. This will see him through to retirement in August 2010, and also achieve the honor of being his country's longest-serving unofficial representative in Taiwan.

For NTIO staffer Ariel Lin, Goedhart's knowledge of the island and its people has made him more Taiwanese than most of his staff. "He knows this country better than us," she said. "He has visited every city and county, and has spent time with many indigenous tribes. Moreover, he eats whatever the locals eat ... offal, spicy hot pot, betel nuts, you name it."

But this is not the end of the Taiwan-line for 62-year-old Goedhart. If his successor approves, he will become the head of the Netherlands-Taiwan Business Council, and continue working to promote bilateral ties. But before leaving his current post, Goedhart plans to write a book about Taiwan. "The work mainly focuses on Dutch-indigenous relations, as well as introducing off-the-beaten-path places and authentic food in Taiwan," he said.

As the sun began to set on the group's culturally important visit to Jilu and the Rukai, many of Goedhart's group set off for Taipei. He and his wife, however, would continue on to Tainan, where a meeting with the Siraya tribe was scheduled for the next day.

Sitting beside the campfire at an outdoor restaurant run by an aboriginal artist, Goedhart, a glass of wine in hand, gazed at the full moon in the clear sky. "This is the way life should be," he said. "We were adopted today by the most simple and genuine people. What more can one ask for?"

Write to Ellen Ko at ellenko@mail.gio.gov.tw