讓靈魂回家 Returning Souls

 ~尋找太巴塱靈魂；阿美族最神奇的一棟祖屋裂解與重建的故事~  
台灣母系阿美族文獻中最有名的太巴塱Kakita’an祖屋柱子上有許多圖紋，講述著這個太陽母神後裔包括大洪水、會發光女孩、兄妹婚、巫師降世，以及弒父與獵首起源等神奇傳說。1958年大颱風將祖屋吹倒後，這些柱子被搬移到中研院民族所博物館收藏。近年在太巴塱年輕人的積極推動下，透過女巫師的媒介，讓Kakita’an家族和村落代表與柱子中的祖靈接觸、對話，最終將祖靈請回部落並展開祖屋重建。在外來宗教影響、土地所有權爭議與複雜的部落文化生態中，年輕人想找回太巴塱祖靈及部落靈魂的文化復振夢想遭遇許多困難。這部紀錄片將神話傳說與現實、看得見的與看不見的交織，記述這個特殊而動人的歸還與重建事件。
In the historically most famous ancestral house of the matrilineal Amis tribe in Taiwan, the carved pillars tell legends, such as the great flood, the glowing girl, the descending shaman sent by the Mother Sun, and the father-killing headhunting event. After a strong typhoon toppled the house 40 years ago, the pillars were moved to the Institute of Ethnology Museum. Recently young villagers, with assistance from female shamans, pushed the descendants and village representatives to communicate with ancestors in the pillars. They eventually brought the ancestral souls（rather than the pillars）back and began reconstructing the house. In an environment highly influenced by western religions, national land policy, and local politics, the dream of the young people for cultural revitalization and to bring back not only the ancestral souls but also the soul of the village encountered many frustrations. This documentary interweaves reality and legends as well as the seen and the unseen as it records this unique case of repatriation. （85 minutes)                                       

 
我為什麼要攝製「讓靈魂回家」紀錄片？  （胡台麗）
    對我來說，拍攝紀錄片不只是在紀錄，而是希望透過紀錄與放映，能刺激多方面的文化省思。從事人類學研究和民族誌紀錄片攝製工作以來，「讓靈魂回家」是和我工作的單位中研院民族學研究所最密切相關的一部影片。從2003年8月太巴塱部落的年輕人造訪民族所博物館開始，那時身為博物館委員會召集人的我就嗅到不尋常的氣氛。事情找上門，就發生在眼前，讓我無法視而無賭。於是，拿起攝影機不但是一種反射性的動作，也是整理思緒、觀察變化、紀錄溝通、並作自身反省的一種方式。

 Why I was inspired to film “Returning Souls”      （Hu Tai-Li）
      Filming a documentary does not serve to simply document facts. By sharing what I have recorded, I hope to stimulate reflection in my audience on a variety of cultural issues. In all my experience performing anthropological research and filming ethnographic documentaries, “Returning Souls” has the closest links to my workplace, Academia Sinica’s Institute of Ethnology. In August 2003, when young members of the Amis tribe from Tafalong visited the Museum of Institute of Ethnology, I was Convener of the Institute’s Museum Committee. I could feel that something special had been put into motion. This story literally appeared on my doorstep and there was no way I could ignore it. Picking up a video camera is my natural reflex, but it is also an ideal tool for organizing thoughts, observing changes, recording communication, and introspection. 
      I was truly moved by the group of young Amis from Tafalong, led by Fuday. They came to request the return of wooden pillars from the Kakita’an family ancestral house that are preserved in the Institute’s museum. By bringing the pillars home, they hoped to restore the soul of their village that had been eaten away by the destruction of the Kakita’an ancestral house, the displacement of their ancestors’ souls, and the impact of outside culture on their way of life. If we can just bring back the pillars and rebuild the Kakita’an ancestral house, they thought, we can recapture our culture and rituals and revitalize the spirit of Tafalong.