Walking the ancient roads | Riverside: Discovering the Lives of the Ketagalan People along the Keelung River – Connection and Sharing: Unveiling the Present of the Ketagalan People Series
Have the Ketagalan People We Know Disappeared?
Teacher Peng Ling’s story will challenge and reshape this impression ingrained in many people’s minds.
Years ago, while verifying a family legend, Teacher Peng stumbled upon a surprising discovery in household registration records from the Japanese colonial period. In the ethnic column of her maternal family’s elders, she found the term “Shu” (denoting “cooked” or assimilated Indigenous peoples) along with unique Plains Indigenous surnames. This sparked a years-long journey to trace her roots. Using her background in history, she began an in-depth investigation, unearthing family archives from various sources. These included the last known Ketagalan marriage contract, family leader seals, and ancient manuscripts. She also conducted interviews with elders to gather field data, successfully reconstructing a family genealogy that had been forgotten for a century.
To her astonishment, Peng later discovered that she is not only a direct descendant of two generations of leaders from the Tatauyak community but also carries the bloodlines of multiple Ketagalan tribes, including Tatauyak, Liyushan, and Beitou communities.
This extraordinary heritage might resonate with any of us. In this series of talks and field explorations, Teacher Peng Ling will share her journey from personal genealogical research to conducting field interviews. She will personally guide participants to visit rivers and foothills, immersing them in the traditional territories of the Ketagalan ancestors. From the perspective of these ancestors, participants will explore the flowing landscapes and stories that once defined this land.
