The indigenous Tayal are traditionally non-literate, so creeds and agreements, historical memories, and the transmission of traditions were passed down orally from the ancestors, through verbal description or song. Lmuhuw combines Tayal oral arts, customs and traditions, ancestral teaching, historical records of migrations, knowledge of the environment, and other vital information in oral tradition. This is a crystallization of Tayal oral wisdom, and a treasure trove of not only oral literature but also historic memory. However, with swift metamorphosis of Tayal society and culture, the performance settings, ability to improvise, depth of knowledge of the Tayal language, and linguistic environment are all affected. With the discovery, research, and recording of Lmuhuw oral literature, and official protection under government policy, a new stage is developing, of this oral tradition in writing.
The first written records of Tayal Lmuhuw appear in the Report of Investigation into Savage Tribes by Sayama Sakichi (Japan) of 1918, which describes the use of 「ルモホーカイ」(lmuhuw ke’)in marriage proposals and negotiations. In the past twenty years, most research into Lmuhuw was centered on musicology, or studies of historical memories and cultural inheritance.
This thesis focuses on the river systems and communities encompassed within the cycle of the Pinsbkan-Sbayan legends. Through review of the literature and examination of contemporary field records, this thesis compares the meaning, contents, and methods of presentation of Lmuhuw in different areas, to establish a dialogue platform between contemporary emic oral narration and earlier etic research. The cultural core of ancestral migration, locations, and historical memories established by Lmuhuw is the most important identification symbol and code inherent in the contemporary resurge of performance. It is hoped that through the preservation of cultural heritage, transmission, and research, a contemporary model for the revival of Lmuhuw may be established.