Becoming Kacalisian: Documenting the Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Techniques of Slate Houses in Southern Taiwan

PI: Te-Chen Lu | Collaborator: Ljavuras Kadrangian | Project ID: 2022SG08
Location of Research: Southern Taiwan | Host Institution: University College London (UCL)

This project focuses on the Kadrangian slate house—a co-creating spatial practice that involves re-establishing a Paiwan (Vuculj) chief’s house in a post-war resettled community in southern Taiwan. Rather than mere documentation or representation, its essence aligns more closely with a contemporary cultural initiative of the Indigenous people—connecting with ancestral lands, traditional beliefs, and life (nasi) itself—thus rewriting histories. We not only thoroughly document the slate house (qinaciljay a umaq) and its construction techniques—those practised by men—but also emphasise ethical relationships and embodied experiences within the dwelling, particularly the recollections of senior women who inhabited the slate settlements for decades. At the same time, we revive four related ritual ceremonies. Through trial-and-error and ongoing dialogue, this project collaborates with clan members to ‘seek paths together’ within a decolonial framework, confronting the negotiations and entanglements of contemporary issues. Using a ‘technodiversity’ perspective, we explore ways for Indigenous architecture to become living heritage.

Once constructed, the slate houses are imbued with history. Picture this process: sedimentary rock formed millions of years ago in the deep sea, subjected to crustal uplift and compaction as the island of Taiwan rose. Eroded over time, and after successive earthquakes and typhoons, it fractured into fragments scattered across the surface of Mountain Beidawu. These slabs were gathered over generations by the Paiwan people, sorted by their characteristics, and processed by hand. Along with the rubble produced along the way, they were laid (mupu) into rows of houses, embedded back into the hillside. This dry-stone walling adapts admirably to the mountain slopes (calisi) and frequent earthquakes, standing firm through the ages. It is easy to maintain and reuse, keeping interiors warm in winter and cool in summer. It embodies the Indigenous wisdom forged through centuries of interaction with the land.

Hence, the Paiwan people call themselves Kacalisian, meaning ‘the true people of the mountain slopes.’ Stones are distinguished as male or female. There are sacred stones (ljeqeljeq) that can move and influence the tribes’ fortunes; marker pillars (sauljay) symbolising leadership; altars (qaqarutan) connecting the spirit world and the mortal realm; and throughout the community space, water barriers and drainage systems (taruran), as well as wells (tjatjan)—collectively forming the slate cultural landscapes within the ancestral territory (veqeveq). Departed kin were once laid to rest in burial chambers (luvang) within houses, thus dwelling eternally with their families. Each household bears a unique house name, intrinsically linked to the names of its inhabitants and passed down through one line of absolute primogeniture. The origin myths and histories of chieftain clans, including depictions of deities, ancestral spirits, and family crests, are carved on the eave beam (sasuayan) and main pillar (cukes). During ritual ceremonies, these entities return, journeying along paths laid by smoke and scriptures (lada).

However, the slate house architecture—which developed over roughly a thousand years and largely stabilised three hundred years ago—has undergone significant changes in the past century due to foreign colonial rule: the Japanese period and the Republic of China government’s retreat to Taiwan. Like other Indigenous traditions, it faced drastic transformations under the guise of civilisation—structures and layouts were modified, indoor burial was banned, and traditional leadership and beliefs were replaced by democratic politics and Christianity. With successive relocations under state policy, the ancestral homeland—now relegated to abandoned settlement sites—became increasingly distant. As slate became a valuable commodity resource and regulations now recognise only modern construction systems and professional architects, the life of the slate houses quietly faded.
 

Methodology

As part of his ongoing doctoral research, PI Te-Chen Lu undertook 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork, living alongside Collaborator Ljavuras Kadrangian—descended from the chieftain clans of Piuma in Pingtung County—and his family, who accepted him as one of their own. Nurtured since childhood by the ancestral knowledge system of his lineage, Ljavuras has dedicated his life to Indigenous cultural preservation and education, authoring numerous works. The Kadrangian slate house was conceived and designed by him, with his younger brother, artisan Kui Tjuveljelem, acting as the Chief Craftsman during its construction. Te-Chen facilitated coordination, offered architectural expertise, and documented the entire process through audiovisual recordings: from convening the family meeting, breaking ground, laying the foundation and walls, carving the eave beam and ancestral pillar, topping out, working on interior and exterior components, roofing and flooring, to the surrounding landscape, alongside the divination rite, the empowerment rite for the household, the topping out ceremony, and the inauguration ceremony.

This project focuses on the spatial practice of a slate house, combining oral history interviews, archival materials, and abandoned settlement sites to create a ‘triple attestation’ multimodal methodology, where information flows back and forth and is continually integrated into practice. The geographical scope covers several communities across the mountainous regions of Pingtung County, mainly linked to the Tjaiquvuquvulj and Pavuavua sub-groups, and includes inter-tribal students from the Pingtung Indigenous Community College who participate in construction during holidays. Since January 2023, we have redrawn kinship diagrams; conducted in-depth dialogues with elders, supported by archival materials from overseas; and returned on foot to ancient settlements near Mountain Beidawu. We documented and measured existing ruins, progressively incorporating these findings into the house’s construction. This methodology addresses the doubts and challenges encountered in current practice, allowing the project to trace the form of slate houses more effectively before colonial transformation and to employ traditional techniques whenever possible. It also complements construction methods that are currently beyond our full capacity, as well as residential experiences.

Selected Assets

The following provide an overview of Paiwan slate house culture.

Acknowledgements from the Project Team

This project’s success is largely due to the members of the Kadrangian and Mavaliv chieftain clans in Piuma, who embraced Te-Chen as a family member and bestowed upon him the Paiwan name Cadaq. Particular recognition is given to Collaborator Ljavuras Kadrangian, his spouse, Muni Kadrangian, their daughter, Maljeveljev Kadrangian, and Ljavuras’s younger brother, Kui Tjuveljelem. Appreciation is also extended to Te-Chen’s two PhD supervisors at University College London (UCL)—Prof Clare Melhuish of the Urban Laboratory and Dr Ludovic Coupaye of the Department of Anthropology; to the Body Experience Research Team and Research Fellow Prof Shuenn-Der Yu at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, for their assistance and advice during his visit (July 2023–February 2024); and to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for the Government Scholarship that supported his doctoral studies.