Palisian

Between Mountain and River, history streams across the wilderness, coalescing the values and identities of different peoples. So begins the Pakedavai family ritual. As an 11th-generation descendant of the Pakedavai ruler family, Dabiliyan Alifu grew up in a family slate house. For him, the family is a constant source of education about how to live with the forest and what kind of person to become. Of Pakedavai’s 12th generation, Kang Yuan-Jin grew up in a traditional Chinese community with a Paiwan grandmother and a Chinese grandfather. Only in adulthood did he start to explore the meanings of family and personal identity. This documentary visits the Paiwan Palisian (family ritual), a century-old tradition. As Alifu and Yuan-Jin put on traditional dress, dance with fellow men, and sing familial songs, they ponder the faith and spirit behind the ritual. Having been raised on the same land, yet often disoriented by identities, we too are led to ask: Where are we from? Who are we?