Paiwan People: The Person in the Clay Pot (Part 2)

Paiwan People: The Person in the Clay Pot (Part 2) The person born in the clay pot finally reached the sky. He obtained precious millet and prepared to return to the human world. On his way back, he shook the bamboo pole connecting heaven and earth, and the millet scattered from the sky. People on the ground quickly spread their skirts and clothes, catching each falling grain of millet. From then on, the human world had food again. People thanked this ancestor who brought back the millet and respected him as a chief. Later, he established order and led his people. And the most interesting part of this story is the hundred-pace viper. It is not just a snake guarding the clay pot, but also a being that connects heaven and earth and helps the ancestor obtain millet. Therefore, in Paiwan culture, the hundred-pace viper holds a very important ancestral and sacred symbolism. And so, the clay pot, the hundred-pace viper, and the millet are strung together in one story: The clay pot nurtures the ancestor, The hundred-pace viper connects heaven and earth, The ancestor brings back the millet, The millet allows humanity to continue. This is not just a story about 'where people come from', but also tells us: An ethnic group's ancestors, land, food, and beliefs are interconnected.