大南魯凱族婚姻

THE MARRIAGE OF THE TAROMAK RUKAI

魯凱族居住在臺灣南部的中央山地，人口約有六千五百人，分為以下三個亞群：1.下三社群包括瑪加（Torokuka）、多納（kungadavane）和萬山（Oponohu）三社，分佈在高雄縣北部山地的濁口溪流域，即今高雄縣茂林鄉境內。2.魯凱群（Rukai proper）共有八個社，分佈在屏東縣北部山地，隘寮溪上流地區，即今屏東縣霧台鄉境內。3.大南群（Taromak）只有臺東縣卑南鄉大南村一個社。從地理位置來看，下三社群和魯凱群是西部群，大南群則是東部群。「大南社」魯凱人稱之為Taromak，原在深山中，約四十年前在日本人命令下，才開始逐漸向山下遷移。現今大南村的位置在臺東縱谷南端西側大南溪上游的南北兩岸，也就是在臺東平原的山腳地帶，海拔125公尺左右。臺東平原及其附近地區有阿美族、卑南族、排灣族、魯凱族和漢族等五種人，其中以只有一個社的魯凱族人數為最少；大南社與卑南族毗鄰，固然其社會、文化受卑南等族影響不小，然而在這些強大異族的包圍下，為了利於防守迫使他們不得不長久居住於有險可恃的深山中，形勢促使他們緊密地團結在一起，因而大南魯凱族的文化具有深厚的保守性與獨立性，這是我們研究魯凱族所不能忽視的。筆者先後去田野調查四次，第一次為民國五十二年七月卅一日至九月卅日，第二次為民國五十三年二月二日至十四日，第三次為民國五十三年九月十三日至十月十二日，第四次為民國五十四年二月十日至三月九日，合計約四個月半，除搜集社會組織方面之資料外，並搜集有關宗教和經濟方面的材料。在大南村調查期間，承蒙村中長者毛路資、陳崢松、孟泰斗等先生的熱心報導，村長陳紹寬先生及古明哲、孟田榮、劉輝諸先生和大南村派出所員警等地方人士的協助、謝秀連女士和林清松、謝來德等先生的幫助翻譯，使工作得以順利進行，是筆者所衷心感激的。本文從開始撰寫乃至完成，凌師純聲都予以許多鼓勵，此為筆者所深為感激並應致最大謝意的。鮑克蘭先生斧正英文摘要，丘其謙先生審閱初稿，王人英兄，陳春欽兄提供寶貴意見，在此特致謝意。

The data of this paper were collected primarily on a field trip from the 31st of July to the 30th of September 1963.Ta-nan village of Taitung Hsien, where the Taromak Rukai live, is situated on both sides of the Ta-nan River and on the slopes at the margin of the Taitung plain. According to the demographical data of the 31st of July, there were 196 households and 1,066 persons. Because the Rukai people have only one village on the Taitung plain, which was besieged by the Ami, Puyuma and Paiwan, its population is the smallest, as a consequence the Rukai remained more conservative than any one of the three other groups. Formerly the male began the contact with the female as early as the age of 8 when he attended the boys' house. The lowest grade of the men's house, valisen, however, demands a strict separation of sex, but as ascending the highest grade, mokasapala (above 21 years of age), the young men are permitted to marry. During the festival of the harvest, the use of the swing is the most dramatic and romantic moment for the relations between the unmarried male and female, (plate I A, B) Till the age of 16 or 17 years, after entering the young women's organization, lanukupalupalua, the girls are permitted to marry. As for selecting the spouse, the grade of social class, health, industry, kindness and the proficiency in weaving (female) or hunting and head hunting (male) play an important part. Intra-class marriage is popular, but there is also the type of marriage between classes, which is prefered only by the people of the lower. Owing to the fact that sometimes they can not find partners within the tribe, the people of the higher class sometimes practise tribal exogamy. Marriage prohibitions: (1) Incest taboo: From the ego-oriented, the scope of incest taboo is shown in the figure below.(2) The offspring of two sworn families is forbidden to intermarry.(3) Those who are offspring of two families, among which adultery had occurred, are tabooed from marriage forever.(4) Those who are cohabiting within the same house are tabooed from marriage.Taromak Rukai practise monogamy. Virolocal marriage and the marriage by service are prevalent. Uxorilocal marriage occurrs in order to keep up with the ambil-anak succession. The sorrorate and levirate are sometimes practised, the latter being more frequent than the former. Recently, through the incessant intrusion of the Han people, especially the veterans, there has occurred marriage by purchase. Of the two rites of marriage, taketekee and mutsaisi, the former consists in the resistance of the bride's relatives against her capture by the groom's friends and against her entering the groom's home. While formerly the bride was taken by force and carried away on the back of her future husband's friends, today this rite still persists but in a less dramatic and violent form. The second rite is the bridegroom cutting the girl's inner garment by means of a short knife. This wrapping consisted formerly of a piece of tree bark or some woven cloth. Originally this was performed in public, later on more privately and the custom has now been abandoned. The average percentage of widows and widowers among married persons through 1933-62 was 13.82. During that period the annual percentage was diminishing gradually and in 1963 was 8.22. This is because of the improving of local hygiene and the using of modern medical facilities. Widows are more numerous than widowers, due to the longer life span of women. The amount and quality of the bride price is coherent with the couples’family status. The main reasons for divorce are adultery, barrenness, laziness and the incompatibility of the couple with their parents-in-law. If a divorcee wants to marry, the affianced male must repay the bride price to her divorced husband in advance. Remarriage is frequent. The remarriage rate among married persons of 1963 was 19.48%. The reasons for the higher rate are as follows:(1) Remarriage takes place soon after divorce.(2) Owing to the still high rate of death, the chance of remarriage for widows and widowers is great.(3) There is no long period of mourning prescribed, and it is no shame for the widow—as it would be with the Han people—to marry a second time.(4) In general, the relation between the two sexes, who had frequent contact from childhood to the period of adolscence, is free and unrestrained.