近代東臺灣木瓜番歷史變遷之研究

木瓜番在近代東臺灣歷史上，是個非常值得注意的族群。其祖先來到東臺灣的木瓜溪流域之後，因應與周遭族群不同的互動需要，曾經擔任臺灣東部與西部物物交換（以物易物）的中介者，也曾給東部的族群相當大的威脅。他們與鄰近的內太魯閣番、外太魯閣番經常處於敵對的狀態；與七腳川社的阿美族人，則除了偶有衝突之外，彼此往往是「攻守同盟」的朋友，在1908年12月「七腳川事件」發生時，他們還一起聯合起來反抗日本統治當局。歷來對於東臺灣族群的研究，木瓜番並沒有被作為主要的對象來探討，對他們的記錄，呈現相當模糊的狀態，尤其是在清帝國統治晚期，到日本統治初期，其部落的變遷與分佈，甚至成為謎。本研究透過文獻、調查報告書、口述歷史、專著、地圖等，以使得木瓜番的歷史變遷能夠呈現出來，希望一方面對原住民族歷史的還原有助益，一方面也可補充東臺灣歷史的空白。

關鍵字

原住民族；木瓜番；太魯閣番；七腳川社；七腳川事件

並列摘要

The study of the Vaguai people needs our more attention because of its ethnical speciality in recent history of the Eastern Taiwan. After moving into the Vaguai river basin, the Vaguai people became the main traders between aboriginal groups in the Western and the Eastern Taiwan and they also had strong impact on other people living in that area. The Vaguai were always hostile to the outer Taroko and the inner Taroko living in the neighborhood, but cooperated with the Chikasowan tribe of the Amis. A typical example was the ”Chikasowan incident,” in which the Vaguai helped the Chikasowan tribe to fight against the Japanese colonized government in December, 1908. Because the Vaguais were not important subjects discussed in previous studies, their distribution, life styles and historical records during the Ching dynasty and early Japanese period have never been investigated. This study attempts to represent the historical changes of the Vaguai people in Eastern Taiwan by reviewing literature, researching local information and oral history, and analyzing ancient maps. The results of this research not only potentially recover the lost pages of aboriginal history, but also further our understanding of Vaguai people living in the Eastern Taiwan during the Ching dynasty and early Japanese colonial period.