在北臺灣大漢溪畔，層層疊疊的梯田間，壯年的Watan如同往常到田裡牧牛。耳邊迴盪著父親和部落耆老們夜夜吟唱的古老歌謠，他心頭一動，「不然我來偷偷學著唱」，便開始大聲哼唱起來。這看似隨意的練習，卻成為他守護這傳承數百年史詩古調的起點。
十七、十八世紀前後，千年來久居臺灣中部瑞岩部落的泰雅族人，因氣候變遷，耕地及獵場的受限，部分族人跟隨幾位部落領袖遷徙，尋找新的居住地。他們沿著山脈陵線、河川，最終各家族散居於北台灣各地。為了記住歷史跟祖先智慧，各部落領袖、耆老，透過古調Lmuhuw，口耳相傳大祖宗在分散前的訓誡及遷徙路徑。攤開臺灣地圖，他們吟唱提到的山脈、地點、溪流、各家族落腳的地點，全都精準、清楚，不可思議。
說話總三、五句就穿插著「呵呵呵⋯」笑聲的Watan Tanga阿公，1930年出生時，日本殖民教育進到部落，加上之後撤退來台的中華民國政府，外來的教育及律法逐漸影響到Lmuhuw在部落慶典、律儀上的位置。耆老們逐漸凋零，10年前調查時， Watan阿公成了全台灣少數能完整吟唱Lmuhuw的耆老。2019年，高齡90的他被列為臺灣的人間國寶（無形文化資產保存者）。
Lmuhuw很詩意地將找尋獵場稱為mkzik na balung（在倒木底下穿梭）。這個畫面讓我想起一句話："If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
您聽過Lmuhuw嗎？邀請您一起聆聽，純正台灣本土的「史詩」。
An Atayal Epic that chronicles the ancestral journeys：Lmuhuw
Amid the terraced fields along the banks of the Dahan River in northern Taiwan, Watan, in his prime, tended his cattle as usual. Echoes of the ancient songs sung nightly by his father and tribal elders stirred something within him. "Why not sing along with them?" he thought, and began to hum boldly. The seemingly casual act marked the beginning of his journey to preserve these centuries-old epic tunes.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Atayal people, who had lived for millennia in central Taiwan’s Masitoban tribe, began migrating due to climate change, dwindling farmland, and shrinking hunting grounds. Following tribal leaders, some families moved in search of new homes, traversing mountain ridges and rivers before settling in various parts of northern Taiwan. To preserve their history and ancestral wisdom, tribal leaders and elders passed down the epic songs, known as Lmuhuw, as oral traditions. These songs recounted their migration routes and the teachings of their forebears with astonishing clarity and precision—accurately mapping mountains, rivers, and settlements onto Taiwan’s geography.
Watan Tanga, born in 1930, has an infectious laugh that punctuates his stories with a hearty "haha." Growing up during the Japanese colonial period, and later the Republic of China, he witnessed how external education systems and legal frameworks gradually eroded the role of Lmuhuw in tribal rituals and celebrations. As elders passed away, the ancient songs faced the threat of being lost forever. A decade ago, Watan was identified as one of the few remaining elders in Taiwan capable of performing the full repertoire of Lmuhuw. In 2019, at the age of 90, he was recognized as a "National Living Treasure" (Keeper of Intangible Cultural Heritage) for his efforts to safeguard this invaluable tradition.
In Lmuhuw, the poetic phrase mkzik na balung ("traversing beneath the fallen tries") is used to describe the search for hunting grounds. This imagery brings to mind the philosophical question: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
Have you ever heard Lmuhuw? We invite you to listen and immerse yourself in the genuine, epic narrative of Taiwan’s indigenous heritage.