Abstract:
This study examines how the Paiwan people have appropriated traditional songs to express their Christian faith and adapt them into songs that are suitable for contemporary believers to sing. The Paiwan are the second-largest Indigenous group in Taiwan, with over half identifying as Christian. The “Voice of the Mountain Hymn Evangelical Group” was founded by Chiu, Ching-hung in the late 1980s. Concerned that younger Paiwan generations were losing touch with their musical heritage, Chiu established the group to train Paiwan Christians. Around 1987, Chiu collected traditional Paiwan songs from fourteen villages. He transcribed them into numbered notations, paired them with Christian lyrics, and added several of his own compositions. These works were later published Voice of the Mountain: Paiwan Folk Hymns (Volumes I and II)—comprising a total of forty-two songs. Through its touring performances and the publication of its songbooks, the group sparked widespread resonance among Paiwan communities. This practice not only represented a pursuit of cultural identity but also influenced the publication of the third edition of Paiwan Hymnal in 1996. Drawing on historical recordings and songbooks unearthed in the summer of 2024, this research conducts transcription and comparative analysis to realize the methods of adaptation in Paiwan songs. Preliminary findings indicate that while the adapted songs show a tendency toward simplified glissandos and ornamentations, some include added guitar accompaniment and Western harmonization, enriching the musical texture and moving it closer to a popular music style. This study aims to contribute to understanding the appropriation of traditional music and how they have evolved over time within the global context of Christian music.
Keywords: Paiwan Traditional Songs; Paiwan Folk Hymns, Christian Music Adaptation; Indigenous Identity
中文摘要：
本研究意欲探討排灣族人如何挪用傳統歌謠來詮釋基督信仰，並改編成有利於當代信徒傳唱的歌曲。排灣族是目前在台灣人口第二大的原住民族，但基督徒的比例卻高達半數以上。「山之聲詩歌佈道團」由邱慶鴻先生於1980年代末期所成立，起初，邱先生因工作需要出版關於原住民文化的出版品，於是在1987年左右採集排灣族14個村落的傳統歌謠，將之編寫成簡譜、配上基督教歌詞，並加上數首自身的創作，陸續出版兩本樂譜：「山之聲—排灣民謠詩歌」第一集與第二集共42首歌曲。邱更有感於當時的年輕族人已不太懂自身的傳統歌謠，擔心排灣族的歌謠文化會消失殆盡，於是成立「山之聲詩歌佈道團」，召集年輕族人參加。由於該團的巡迴演唱加上樂譜發行，當時引起其他村的排灣族人廣泛迴響。此種將傳統歌謠挪用為基督教詩歌的方式不僅是一種身份認同的追尋，更影響到1996年排灣族聖詩第三版的出版。本研究便以2024年夏天甫出土的歷史錄音、樂譜等資料進行採譜、比對，以梳理排灣族歌謠被挪用與改編的方式。研究結果初步發現，雖然被改編後的歌曲在滑音、裝飾音有更加簡化的趨勢，但部份歌曲增加了吉他伴奏、西方和聲等現象，讓音樂的呈現更加豐富，也往流行音樂風格靠近。讓我們見證了傳統歌謠隨時代的演變方式，期盼此一研究可補足基督教音樂全球化領域中傳統歌謠被挪用的狀況。
口頭報告即將於2026年7月在國際傳統音樂暨舞蹈學會的東亞研究會議中呈現。