Rikavong Rituals 

Two rituals were held each year:  karawaken and mangamangayau.

Karawaken

• The first one was karawaken, or harvest festival, where merawak had to dance. 

• After the millet harvest, the Elders solicited for rahan's (priest) decision on the timing of rawwak (cleaning), and rahan (the Chief) waited for symbolic and auspicious dreams. 

• After determining the time, rahan began remty (to offer sacrifices to ancestors), and then the entire tribe engaged in cleaning. 

• After worshipping in amekang, rahan made the return trip along semayLaten and putengal. 

• Before karawaken, engaged girls need to go to their mother-in-law's house for millet pounding. 

• Ill will mother-in-law would make her pound millet without casting the shells, which would make the work more difficult; kind mother-in-law would grind the millet before giving to the girl. 

• Millet pounding is only performed during harvest. 

• In the second day of karawaken, young men needed to complete marathon to the beach and bring back sapa (flower) to prove his trip to the beach, or else he would be teased for his laziness. 

• Then, they gathered in parakwan or takoban for emiraw (recite poems and sing songs) to conclude karawaken. 

• The ritual had been failed to pass down to the next generation. 

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Mangamangayau

• The second ritual was mangamangayau (or mangayau) where young men were tested for endurance, obedience, respect for elders, and surviving skills. 

• Carrying elders' belongings, construction of huts on hunting ground, and allocation of ledu attire on the hunting ground were responsibilities of young men. 

• After living on the hill for three days, young men could not go back to the tribe yet; they have to stay in the hut built by those who did not participate in mangamangayau on the midway. 

• In the following morning, women welcomed the young men with their clothes, wine, and betel nuts. More dugee would be returned for betel nuts. Dugee is an expensive gift to Puyuma.

• During the trip between the midway huts to the assembly, young men had to trot in detour to protect the elder (called paabal). 

• Families that had lost beloved one during the previous year had to wait for the elder to take off the mourning scarf on their head at ruwadayun (or LaLuwanan). 

• Those families could go home afterwards, and the others started to visit every family with deceased one for temuwal (to get rid of the bad luck for the New Year). 

• At night, all tribal natives gathered at the assembly to dance and sing; they also brought the mourning families to the dance implying the mourning families were no longer banned from communicating with other members of the tribe. 

• The ritual would end after one week of dance.

Youth assembly

• Rikavong had youth assembly, but no official Takoban or strict promotional ceremony. 

• Before mangayau, young men were divided into two groups for contest and wrestling (or mapingy pingT) until noon, and dance until they came back from hunting. 

• Training for young men lasted for 3 years, and specified a number of customs, such as not allowed to talk to girls without shirts on, must bow one's head and give way to others, not allowed to ride cattle or cattle carriage or bicycle, must help the elders. 

• The three-year penance was difficult and arduous. 

• However, the rituals were abolished after WWII. 

• (Chen Kwang-rong asked: Wouldn't you miss the rituals?) I do, but we elders cannot do anything if the young men are unwilling to participate.

(Taiwan Documents Committee, 'Taitung local geography and history', p.277, 1997)

  Naming Newborn 

Newborns were often named after ancestors, reputable people, or heroes.

(Taiwan Documents Committee, 'Taitung local geography and history', p.273, 1997)

  Funerals 

In cases of major disasters, rituals were held by the priest, and the entire tribe had to stay at home for 3 days (pa-ka1egi).

(Taiwan Documents Committee, 'Taitung local geography and history', p.278, 1997)