Taiwan aborigines: a ceremonial Rukai knife

Nonoy Tan · 13th June 2011, 12:30 PM

What is it called in the vernacular?

Sajen · 13th June 2011, 01:13 PM

Thank you for posting this beautiful knife and the detailed explanation!

Regards,

Detlef

yuanzhumin · 13th June 2011, 01:24 PM

If my sources are correct, it should be called 'rinadrug'

Rick · 14th June 2011, 02:21 AM

The blade is of laminated construction, Nicolas ?

Absolutely lovely and rare .

KuKulzA28 · 14th June 2011, 06:35 AM

Lovely... I've heard that the Paiwan sword is called a takit - is that true?

Atlantia · 14th June 2011, 10:15 AM

Hi Yuanzhumin

What a magnificent item! Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations
Gene

yuanzhumin · 14th June 2011, 10:15 AM

Rick,
Yes, it seems to be. It is much more sophisticated than the usual Paiwanic blades. This one must be the result of a barter with a Chinese Han settler or a Japanese traveller. May be, it was also 'taken' away from someone outside of the tribe, at the same time with his head. We'll never know.

Kukulza,
The Paiwanic group is composed of three distinct groups: the Paiwan, the Puyuma and the Rukai. These 3 groups, despite some cultural similarities, are quite different. Languages are different, and even among the Rukai, it happens that in the same valley, 3 Rukai villages have 3 different dialects.
For what concerns the name, I checked my source, and as you wrote, 'tjakit' means a sword in the Paiwan language. The 'sisavavuavua tjakit' is the name for the common sword when the ceremonial sword is called 'sitjeqalaqala tjakit'.
In Rukai language, the Rukai sword should be called 'rinadrug'

Sorry I won't be able to tell you more

Nonoy Tan · 14th June 2011, 12:20 PM

Thanks, Yuanzhumin. Any information regarding the etymological basis of rinadrug?

yuanzhumin · 15th June 2011, 04:10 AM

Thank you all for your nice comments.

Nonoy, all what I can bring is this link:

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~reid/Combine...%20Grammar.pdf

Here is the introduction to the book:

Elizabeth Zeitoun. 2007. A grammar of Mantauran (Rukai). Taipei:
Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica. Language and
Linguistics Monograph Series A4-2. xviii + 551 pp. ISBN 978-
986-01-1219-1. $50.00, hardcover.

Mantauran is one of the six dialects of the Formosan language Rukai, spoken in the southcentral region of Taiwan. It is spoken by only 250–300 people and is highly endangered, with only a few elderly speakers still fluent. This alone is reason enough to document the language that in a generation or so will probably no longer be spoken. But Rukai is unique in that it apparently exhibits an accusative case-marking system, while most other
Formosan languages are arguably ergative, and it does not exhibit the widespread “focus” system characteristic of the so-called “Philippine-type” languages of Taiwan, such as Amis, Kavalan, Bunun, Thao, and Atayal. While a substantial grammar exists of one of the other dialects, Tanan Rukai (Li 1973), until Elizabeth Zeitoun (henceforth EZ) began her research on the language, there was very little information available about the morphosyntax
of this dialect. With this grammar, we now have extensive coverage of two
considerably different dialects of Rukai. EZ’s goals in writing the grammar in effect.

My additional comment: Elizabeth Zeitoun is a world wide expert of Rukai languages. She is a French researcher and works at the Acadamia Sinica, in Taipei (if I remember well, she is a member of this prestigious institution).

About the 14 Formosan languages:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formosan_languages

About the Austronesian languages:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/65326/
http://www.digparty.com/wiki/Austronesian_languages
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.ph...sian_languages

If any of you has some more infos, please, share with us.

Not many people know about the Taiwan aborigenes, and even less about their different ethnic groups, their culture and their languages despite the fact that they are the craddle of the whole Austronesian world. Close to 300 millions people speak Austronesian languages all around the Pacific Rim and in The Indian Ocean. Polynesian people (Hawaii, Tahiti, Easter Island, Maori in New Zealand...) can trace their ancestry to Taiwan 6000 years ago, through genetics.

KuKulzA28 · 15th June 2011, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yuanzhumin

Kukulza,
The Paiwanic group is composed of three distinct groups: the Paiwan, the Puyuma and the Rukai. These 3 groups, despite some cultural similarities, are quite different. Languages are different, and even among the Rukai, it happens that in the same valley, 3 Rukai villages have 3 different dialects.
For what concerns the name, I checked my source, and as you wrote, 'tjakit' means a sword in the Paiwan language. The 'sisavavuavua tjakit' is the name for the common sword when the ceremonial sword is called 'sitjeqalaqala tjakit'.
In Rukai language, the Rukai sword should be called 'rinadrug'

Sorry I won't be able to tell you more

Thanks yuanzhumin for the information! I appreciate it!

varta · 21st June 2011, 04:47 PM

As this sword was described as "a rare and distinctive sword of the Yi People of Sichuan, formerly known as the Luoluo", does anyone know if the Yi have swords and how they are looking like?
(Amazing how auctions houses sometimes assert unanswerable description when they ignore an object. Yuanzhumin is a specialist of these discoveries. Congratulations!)

21st June 2011, 04:47 PM	#11
varta Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Berlin-Paris Posts: 37	Yi People of Sechuan As this sword was described as "a rare and distinctive sword of the Yi People of Sichuan, formerly known as the Luoluo", does anyone know if the Yi have swords and how they are looking like? (Amazing how auctions houses sometimes assert unanswerable description when they ignore an object. Yuanzhumin is a specialist of these discoveries. Congratulations!)

13th June 2011, 12:30 PM	#1
Nonoy Tan Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 293	What is it called in the vernacular?

13th June 2011, 01:13 PM	#2
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,165	Thank you for posting this beautiful knife and the detailed explanation! Regards, Detlef

13th June 2011, 01:24 PM	#3
yuanzhumin Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ex-Taipei, Taiwan, now in Shanghai, China Posts: 180	If my sources are correct, it should be called 'rinadrug'

14th June 2011, 02:21 AM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	The blade is of laminated construction, Nicolas ? Absolutely lovely and rare .

14th June 2011, 06:35 AM	#5
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	Lovely... I've heard that the Paiwan sword is called a takit - is that true?

14th June 2011, 10:15 AM	#6
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	Hi Yuanzhumin What a magnificent item! Thanks for sharing. Congratulations Gene

14th June 2011, 12:20 PM	#8
Nonoy Tan Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 293	Thanks, Yuanzhumin. Any information regarding the etymological basis of rinadrug?

15th June 2011, 04:10 AM	#9
yuanzhumin Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ex-Taipei, Taiwan, now in Shanghai, China Posts: 180	Thank you all for your nice comments. Nonoy, all what I can bring is this link: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~reid/Combine...%20Grammar.pdf Here is the introduction to the book: Elizabeth Zeitoun. 2007. A grammar of Mantauran (Rukai). Taipei: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica. Language and Linguistics Monograph Series A4-2. xviii + 551 pp. ISBN 978- 986-01-1219-1. $50.00, hardcover. Mantauran is one of the six dialects of the Formosan language Rukai, spoken in the southcentral region of Taiwan. It is spoken by only 250–300 people and is highly endangered, with only a few elderly speakers still fluent. This alone is reason enough to document the language that in a generation or so will probably no longer be spoken. But Rukai is unique in that it apparently exhibits an accusative case-marking system, while most other Formosan languages are arguably ergative, and it does not exhibit the widespread “focus” system characteristic of the so-called “Philippine-type” languages of Taiwan, such as Amis, Kavalan, Bunun, Thao, and Atayal. While a substantial grammar exists of one of the other dialects, Tanan Rukai (Li 1973), until Elizabeth Zeitoun (henceforth EZ) began her research on the language, there was very little information available about the morphosyntax of this dialect. With this grammar, we now have extensive coverage of two considerably different dialects of Rukai. EZ’s goals in writing the grammar in effect. My additional comment: Elizabeth Zeitoun is a world wide expert of Rukai languages. She is a French researcher and works at the Acadamia Sinica, in Taipei (if I remember well, she is a member of this prestigious institution). About the 14 Formosan languages: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formosan_languages About the Austronesian languages: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/65326/ http://www.digparty.com/wiki/Austronesian_languages http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.ph...sian_languages If any of you has some more infos, please, share with us. Not many people know about the Taiwan aborigenes, and even less about their different ethnic groups, their culture and their languages despite the fact that they are the craddle of the whole Austronesian world. Close to 300 millions people speak Austronesian languages all around the Pacific Rim and in The Indian Ocean. Polynesian people (Hawaii, Tahiti, Easter Island, Maori in New Zealand...) can trace their ancestry to Taiwan 6000 years ago, through genetics.