Sunday, January 29, 2012

The heart-breaking story must be told.
Last month we went to a concert by Gageng旮亙, an Amis music group dedicated to transmitting their culture, music, morals, and traditions to the next generation and to the general public. (the Amis are an aborigine tribe on the eastern coast of Taiwan; with 140,000 people, they are the most populous of Taiwan's tribes)
少多宜 Sawtoyi, the troupe leader, and other performers played on the 鼻笛 nose flute. The nose flute, usually associated with the Paiwan 排灣 tribe, is a double bamboo flute played with the nostrils, producing delightful music.
After the concert, we proved conclusively that Western noses do not fit onto the nose flute. I puffed and snorted and wheezed, but could not produce a single note. Sawtoyi passed the flute around, and every single person there effortlessly blew into the flute and made pleasant tones. The inescapable truth is that Western nostrils protrude too far.

I am working to accept this terrible blow. Maybe if we could find some oval bamboo…





Friday, January 27, 2012


今早參加一個很有意義的活動,由廖鎮洲舉辦,小米田除草,做為初五開工。先Toraw與Qesu兄弟與八十三歲的雅婭(母親)舉行了一個儀式。
This morning, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, we went with Temu Watan to weed a millet field, in preparation for planting. Before the ceremony, the brothers Toraw and Qesu, and their 83 year old mother, held a short ceremony.
The language is Tayal (Dayan), an ancient Austronesian language; Squliq dialect, Wulai. January 27, 2012

Wednesday, January 25, 2012



Kokaekaebʉ faeva ci tonsoha !
托Apu’u Peongsi之福,終于知道鄒語的
新年快樂!

龍乘雲霧虎興風

鳳棲梧桐犬吠日

Monday, January 23, 2012

龍騰雲上萬里晴

佛觀天下一切安

龍年恭喜 心想事成

Happy lunar new year from all of us to all of you!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Progess is being made.

The new Burmese government is holding talks with the

Kachin Independence Organization.

A small step forward, but a step nonetheless.





Wednesday, January 18, 2012

鄒語的enghova,是「青色」,包括藍色與綠色。(很多語言不分藍綠)
我們必須提起enghova的精神,不要再讓藍綠鬧下去、不要讓藍綠再對立,因為說穿了,還不是一家人?
不要再說,你錯我對,我對你錯。要說的是,如何是臺灣的福?

Monday, January 16, 2012

很諷刺。今早終于出大太陽~~~
太陽雨。
老天爺,不要再完弄我們,好不好?
A wise old British proverb says, "If it rains while the sun is shining, the Devil is beating his wife with a leg of mutton." (hey, don't look at me, I didn't make it up!) If so, the old lady got beaten up pretty bad this morning. After months of rain, the sun finally shone brightly this morning::: through a heavy rain. Whoopee.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

今天最高興的事:陳前總統甭想特赦。
很多小人物糊里糊塗被關進監獄,卻沒有高貴的候選人說要救他們。為甚麼一個濫用職權撈錢的貪官要特赦?
是不是所有畜牲都該放生?
縱使有人認為貪官很可憐、該放他出來讓他享受舒服日子,但一個元首或候選人根本不該提出「特赦」之事。原因是,太敏感:很多人很反對特赦,如果這樣做的話,會讓社會對立、不和諧。更何況,是藐視法律程序、輕視司法的結論。而一個元首的職責是要超越自己的立場、自己的派系,促進社會團結、化解大眾的矛盾、減少群眾的衝突。

Friday, January 13, 2012

尾牙過了,要想春聯的句子。,這容易,蝙蝠對…對甚麼?騶虞,幾年前用過…對蟾蜍?可是很多人不喜歡蟾蜍。想到斯,腦中突然蹦出一個對句;我自己不想用,可是如果看倌有適合的對象,歡迎用:
蟾蜍銜幣真俗氣
白貓招手只愛錢

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

新紀錄:今天傍晚十度,家後出現一條龜殼花::好像是前幾天爬上瓦斯桶的那一位::以前最冷十一度看到蛇。這位不怕冷的小朋友動作很明顯遲緩,大概冷壞了。我用竹竿推到安全地方。怎麼不趕快睡覺呢?

A new record: a snake showed up out back, a pointed scale pit viper, probably the same one that was clinging to the propane tank the other day: click here::: It was 10 degrees C this evening, the lowest temperature I have ever seen a snake. The previous record was 11 C. It was clearly sluggish in the cold weather, but even a sluggish snake still deserves care and respect. With a bamboo pole, I prodded it away to a safe place. Maybe I should have sung it a lullaby while I was at it. Isn't it past your bedtime?




Monday, January 09, 2012

臺灣有候選人文宣偏偏要用英文,可是可是連一個像樣的英文標語都寫不出來:"Taiwan next"聽起來是恐嚇:幹掉這個、幹掉那個,下一個幹掉臺灣:Taiwan next...很恐怖!話又說回來,為甚麼臺灣候選人要英文標語?給我的感覺是,對自己的文化沒信心。外國候選人會用外語標語嗎?除非很多選民英文能力不夠,才加西班牙語之類的。可是臺灣沒有只懂英文不懂中文的選民吧!
想想看,美國候選人如果在文宣上加一句異曲同工的中文標語:
美國,幹!
選民縱使看不懂,一半會笑死,另一半會罵死,可是誰會選一個對自己文化這樣沒信心的候選人?

Saturday, January 07, 2012

我有兩個願望。

第一,三、四十年前到各山部落,都聽到小孩子說族語。後來因為電視的入侵,孩童只好在學校上族語課。希望將來隨便到哪一個部落,聽到小孩子說的是族語。

第二,臺灣以前到處都有鹿。希望在我有生之年,在臺灣的山林看到野生鹿群還不覺得稀奇。

Friday, January 06, 2012

by Sabiy Yugan


W是我多年好友,只小我一歲,是我見過少數相當勤儉樸實的年輕人之一。這年頭工作不好找,W一方面向無數個投資顧問或證卷金融公司投遞履歷,另方面不斷補充實力、報考相關專業證照,現在他已拿了兩個,並準備進取分析師認證。


目前人窮,志不窮的W,省下每一塊錢,皮鞋見底了都捨不得買新的,有時我笑他是鐵公雞。多年來他密切關注臺灣與國際經濟走勢,培養自己股市觀察與分析的能力;世界角落發生的大小事情,只要會影響臺灣與世界經濟情勢的,逃不出他的眼睛。


日前與他聊天,家裡沒有電視、也不常看新聞的我問到選舉的影響…… 他一口氣說了幾分鐘,真的將局勢歸納、分析得很清楚,可惜我記憶力不好,佩服之餘卻也無法將句句箴言記起來。只記得他提到中國大陸現已限制陸客來臺觀光,端看何方當選決定下一步;而臺灣經濟與國際關係仰賴的不是美國、日本或歐洲等其他國家(他們皆已自顧不暇),是中國大陸。


他告訴我,總歸一句:「寧投廢票,也不要因為不喜歡馬英九而笨到把票投給蔡英文。」聽著剛毅木訥,將青春都投注在臺灣經濟(當然還有自己的經濟)上的他搖頭嘆氣,心中實在有種莫名的哀傷。


後來他還寄給我一封e-mail,只寫了以下這一段「蔡英文缺口」:兩岸貿易估算,100年1-9月台灣對大陸貿易佔我外貿總額比重23.0%;其中,出口佔我總出口比重29.8%,進口佔我總進口比重15.6%,如果加計香港部分,我對大陸及香港貿易佔我外貿總額比重為28.9%,出口佔我總出口比重為40.6%,進口佔我總進口比重為16.2%。


說實在的,我不懂數字,但無奈現在全球化的工商社會,沒有數字交不到「國際朋友」~~ 交朋友都來不及了,還樹立敵人嗎? ~~除非像亞馬遜河流域的原住民皮拉哈族人,幾乎不受外來社會與現代意識的入侵,連數字的概念都沒有,也不學!{請看【別睡,這裡有蛇!】很好看的書!}


我親愛的臺灣,好不容易看到原住民的聲音漸起、族群意識漸明,各族群的交流好似要更加活絡起來,好不容易有個雖然許多事情還沒做好,但至少可讓國際關係穩固的總統;實在不希望因為那麼快地又想「換人做做看」(其實我感覺這句話很簡單卻很不單純、很不負責任),造成國際地位的飄浮、動盪,直接影響臺灣經濟,使追求安居樂業的基本機會都葬送了。臺灣很強,但是也很脆弱,安內攘外應該要並重;我們可能經不起下個八年、十年的經濟萎靡,國庫空空。我也想要有許多改變,但有經濟的基本穩定,才有機會談更多、更廣、更遠的理想與政策。

Thursday, January 05, 2012

三、四十年前,內湖、北投、陽明山老一代的農民喜歡講的故事是,當年平埔族很忌諱在他們的地上有大便;如果有大便,那塊地不要了。所以「聰明」的漢農看上一塊地,一大早起到那裏大便,平埔族人就把地送給他們。
聽過不知多少人說,巴結原住民,講好話,送一些小禮物,被當作朋友時灌醉叫他簽名,可以騙來一塊地。沾沾自喜,原住民真好騙!
現在要騙取的是選票。甜言蜜語,巧言令色,可信嗎?

我不會開車,但我常乘車,所以意見很多,很會評論別人開車技術。至少,我清楚,方向盤放在我手上,馬上出車禍。
會選舉,未必能治國。

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

澳洲人的幽默:


這段笑死人,但極其尖銳、刻薄,又剛好適用于臺灣現在的情形。

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Despite predictions for a cold winter, this year has been warmer than usual. One night last week, I went out to turn on the gas to wash, and just as I stretched out my hand, I noticed something in the dim light...A beautiful, if somewhat torpid, qimbahu / 龜殼花/ pointed-scaled pit viper / protobothrops mucrosquamatus. Notice how tightly it is holding to the propane bottle with its tail. I prodded it off its perch with a bamboo pole, and it held on like an acrobat with its tail. Finally, I persuaded it to find some other place to spend the night.




Sunday, January 01, 2012

家暴兒童極需要支持、治療,但對不起,政府沒錢幫他們。少輔院的小受刑人極需要關懷、輔導,但對不起,政府沒錢幫他們。臺灣的獨特瑰寶:原住民語言:面臨絕響,極需要支持、指導,但對不起,政府沒錢幫他們。臺灣很多有才華的藝術家需要支持、鼓勵,但對不起,政府沒錢幫他們。臺灣很多小本生意很有創意,需要宣導、支援,但對不起,政府沒錢幫他們。
扗101辦跨年晚會、錢拋到空中燒掉、造成光害、鼓吹浮誇生活,政府大把大把拿錢出來。
FaceBook一個group,「一個不一樣的跨年here::鼓勵大家不參加政治性的跨年活動;跨年時關掉所有電器用品,好好想一想過去的一年,未來的一年。我們舉四手贊成。

A new movement in Taiwan encourages people to turn off all electric devices for ten minutes at the start of the new year, and think about the past year and the coming year. For my own part, even when I was a little kid, I could never figure out why people got excited about counting down to the new year. I mean, I give a sheet? It'll come whether you count down or not, what's the big deal?