Amis Cikawasay Tradition Challenged

In the old times, the spiritual interpreters were inviolable and highly respected by community members. However, under the influence of western religions, the esteemed status of the spiritual interpreters has fallen and they no longer play an important role as they used to be. October is the start of season for cikawasays, the Amis spiritual interpreters, in Lidaw Community in Jian Township, Hualien. The number of spiritual interpreters in the community has dropped to eight from more than ten a few years ago. One reason for the decline is that many restrictions imposed on cikawasays have turned young people away.

Most people have stereotyped cikawasays, the Amis spiritual interpreters, mistaking them as mysterious persons who place curses on others. Cikawasay used to be what the Amis people believed in. But its influence has been fading in this modern society. In Lidaw Community, the three-month long spiritual interpreter season starts in October. During this period, cikawasays conduct rituals praying for blessings and warding off evil spirits every day in the community.

“The ritual is called “mevusak.” Cikawasay visits every household to worship the ancestors’ spirits as well as the spirits that make people sick. After the mevusak, there is an ancestors’ spirits festival later this year. “ said Banai Mulu, CEO of Indigenous Music Foundation for Culture and Education.

There are many restrictions on the diet and habits of a cikawasay. The youngest cikawasay in Lidaw Community is Sla, now over 50 years old. Sla was seriously ill when she was an infant, but was cured by a spiritual interpreter. At the age of two she was designated a cikawasay. There was a time that Sla tried to escape from her fate, but she eventually returned to become a cikawasay.

“I tried to escape by I was chased and eventually came back. When I was young I sometimes became lazy at my work. When people join in older age, they would not do so. I tried to escape when I was young, but I was found, no matter where I hid.” Sla said.

Currently there are only eight cikawasays left in Lidaw Community. There are fewer and fewer spiritual interpreters and sooner or later the tradition will die out. The cikawasays say they feel helpless. The decline of cikawasay is like the vanishing tattoo culture. The once respected sacred position is no longer valued by modern day community members. The preservation of cikawasay is now facing a major challenge.