Pas-ta'ai (Short Spirit Ceremony)

Legend says that long ago the Saisiyat and the short-statured Ta'ai lived as neighbors on opposite banks of a river. The Ta'ai were skilled in farming and in magic, and they taught the Saisiyat how to cultivate the land; for a time the two peoples were close. But according to the legend, the Ta'ai repeatedly offended Saisiyat women, until the tribe could bear it no longer. They set a trap and drowned nearly all of the Ta'ai in the river. Only two survived. The survivors did not strike back. Instead they left a curse — the Saisiyat would face failed harvests and misfortune — and at the same time they taught them, line by line, the songs, dances, and rules of a ceremony to be held year after year in search of forgiveness. Then they turned and walked away. Ever since, the Saisiyat have held the Pas-ta'ai, generation after generation. There is no winner in this story. What it remembers is a kindness, a wrong, and the remorse a people still carry through a whole night of song and dance.

The Pas-ta'ai is nothing like an ordinary prayer-for-blessings festival — there is no incense and no statue. Its heart is atonement and reconciliation, and the people speak to the spirits of the Short People directly, through song, dance, and ritual. The ceremony runs roughly like this: setting the date beforehand, welcoming the spirits, entertaining the spirits, and finally driving off and sending away the spirits; smearing mud, grabbing silver grass, and similar acts all take place during the send-off at dawn on the last day. Quarreling is forbidden while the ceremony lasts, and people tie on silver grass to ward off evil. Each clan has its own role: the Zhu clan leads the rites, the Ri clan shoots the opening arrow, and the ceremonial flag is carried by one young man from each of the three major clans. There are fifteen ceremonial songs, each with a fixed order and meaning, sung through the whole night.

The Pas-ta'ai is held in the middle of the tenth lunar month (roughly November to December), at two ritual grounds that each set their own dates: the Southern Group at Xiangtianhu in Nanzhuang Township, Miaoli County, and the Northern Group at Daai in Wufeng Township, Hsinchu County. The ceremony lasts four days and three nights; for the grand ceremony held once every ten years, an additional ceremonial flag (sinaton) is made. The first night is the "Welcoming of the Spirits": the whole community lines up at the ritual ground as the lead elder chants the welcoming song. The second and third nights are the "Entertaining of the Spirits": the people form a great circle and keep singing and dancing until daybreak, the hip bells and voices echoing through the valley — a sight both grand and solemn. Dawn on the last day brings the "Sending Off of the Spirits," the saddest moment of all, as the people sing the farewell songs and watch the spirits of the Short People depart. The Pas-ta'ai was designated a National Important Folk Custom in 2013. Outsiders may attend, but please check the visiting guidelines with the community or organizers beforehand, and respect the awe the Saisiyat hold toward the spirits of the Short People.