Coastal Lunar Lanterns

Pairang Pavavaljung

Paiwan, Taiwan

Pairang Pavavaljung

Paiwan, Taiwan

01 Awakening the Heart With the Notes of the Flute

02 Accompanying the Sounds from Working in the Fields

03 Recalling the Songs of Joy and Merriment

04 Ballad of Distant Memories

05 Recollecting Childhood in the Fields

06 When the Sun is Ready to Go Out

Pairang Pavavaljung is a “living national treasure”. He is a member of the Paiwan people, living in the remote Paiwan Indigen­ous community of Tjavadran, deep in the mountains of Pingtung. He is known as “pulima”, which translates as “the person with many hands”, meaning one who is skilled in craftsmanship and whose hands can tell stories. He is a leading figure among the Paiwan elders. His handicrafts, such as the making of traditional flutes, bronze knives, bows and arrows and other accessories and carvings, are unique among the traditional Indigenous arts. In addition to his superb craftsmanship, Pairang’s flute playing has won him the Best Score Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival; that is another way for him to tell stories with his hands, conveying his thoughts and unique artistry in a coruscating life of music. Pairang is an important inheritor of the art of the Paiwan mouth flute and nose flute, especially since there are not many Paiwan flute musicians and most of them are elders. Pairang aims to pass on the skills of making and playing traditional instruments, as well as the wisdom of traditional life to the next generation. As a “living textbook” of Indigenous art, Pairang’s innovation brings back the beauty of tradition, allowing it to continue to survive.of artists.

In the past, the tribes in the mountains had no electricity. The nights were quiet, and every day, the tribal elders would tell many myths and legends. Storytelling is an important part of the tribal heritage education, as it allows children to explore the philosophy of life through narratives. As a child, Pairang used to hear the elders tell the folklore of two brothers, which is, as shown in the picture, the originating tale of Paiwan people’s twin-pipe mouth flute and twin-pipe nose flute.

Legend has it that there were two brothers. Whenever they went hunting or fishing, the food prepared by their parents for the older brother was always stuffed with cockroaches, bones and other swill, while the younger brother always received delicious meat and fish. The older brother, finding himself unloved, left home; the younger one, not wanting to leave his brother, left as well and followed him. They walked and walked to a place far away from the tribe, and the older brother sat on the ground, joining his dirge to the moan of winds and the whining of animals, accompanied by his younger brother. Later, the two brothers turned into two mountains, where they sat forever in silence. The two mountains differ in size; the larger being the older brother and the smaller being the younger. Accordingly, Paiwan people’s twin-pipe mouth flute and twin-pipe nose flute are designed based on this tale. The pipe with fingering holes represents the older brother singing the melody, while the pipe without holes represents the younger brother backing in drone accompani­ment. 

To this day, the two mountains are known to the tribe as the Brothers Mountain.

Contact Artist

Pairang Pavavaljung is a “living national treasure”. He is a member of the Paiwan people, living in the remote Paiwan Indigen­ous community of Tjavadran, deep in the mountains of Pingtung. He is known as “pulima”, which translates as “the person with many hands”, meaning one who is skilled in craftsmanship and whose hands can tell stories. He is a leading figure among the Paiwan elders. His handicrafts, such as the making of traditional flutes, bronze knives, bows and arrows and other accessories and carvings, are unique among the traditional Indigenous arts. In addition to his superb craftsmanship, Pairang’s flute playing has won him the Best Score Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival; that is another way for him to tell stories with his hands, conveying his thoughts and unique artistry in a coruscating life of music. Pairang is an important inheritor of the art of the Paiwan mouth flute and nose flute, especially since there are not many Paiwan flute musicians and most of them are elders. Pairang aims to pass on the skills of making and playing traditional instruments, as well as the wisdom of traditional life to the next generation. As a “living textbook” of Indigenous art, Pairang’s innovation brings back the beauty of tradition, allowing it to continue to survive.n of artists.

In the past, the tribes in the mountains had no electricity. The nights were quiet, and every day, the tribal elders would tell many myths and legends. Storytelling is an important part of the tribal heritage education, as it allows children to explore the philosophy of life through narratives. As a child, Pairang used to hear the elders tell the folklore of two brothers, which is, as shown in the picture, the originating tale of Paiwan people’s twin-pipe mouth flute and twin-pipe nose flute.

Legend has it that there were two brothers. Whenever they went hunting or fishing, the food prepared by their parents for the older brother was always stuffed with cockroaches, bones and other swill, while the younger brother always received delicious meat and fish. The older brother, finding himself unloved, left home; the younger one, not wanting to leave his brother, left as well and followed him. They walked and walked to a place far away from the tribe, and the older brother sat on the ground, joining his dirge to the moan of winds and the whining of animals, accompanied by his younger brother. Later, the two brothers turned into two mountains, where they sat forever in silence. The two mountains differ in size; the larger being the older brother and the smaller being the younger. Accordingly, Paiwan people’s twin-pipe mouth flute and twin-pipe nose flute are designed based on this tale. The pipe with fingering holes represents the older brother singing the melody, while the pipe without holes represents the younger brother backing in drone accompani­ment. 

To this day, the two mountains are known to the tribe as the Brothers Mountain.

Contact Artist

Subscribe our Mailing List

Subscribe our mailing list

The Lantern City

For sponsorship, partnership, performance or volunteer opportunity, please contact us here.

Talk To Us & We’ll Talk To You!