The Change of Cultural Significance from the Oral Tradition of Giant Story among Taiwan's Atayal Ethnic Groups

During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese government collected a large number of giant stories about Taiwan's Atayal ethnic group. As for the name of the giant in the story, the Atayal people are mostly called Halus, the Truku people are mostly called Dnamay, and the Seediq are called Lanamai. Although the names are different, the description of the appearance and behavior of the giants are quite close. In the past, this story should bear the imagination and anxiety of the Atayal people about the alien race that is not conducive to the ethnic group, but also harmful to the hunting ground and tribal women. Similar giant stories spread to modern times and have made a lot of adjustments in the plot. The reason may be the alienation and criticism of their own ethnic culture under the influence of alien rule and education. In the 1990s, with the gradual improvement of Aboriginal awareness and ethnic education, when the giant stories were used as ethnic culture teaching material, there were also the phenomena of deletion and selection of sex related plots and the transformation of oral tradition. As time goes by, the significance of telling, recording and spreading has gradually changed and become a cultural phenomenon for thinking.