Legend has it that the indigenous tribe of Puyuma distributed in southeastern Taiwan once had a “King”, and this legend has been dwelled upon with great relish by not only its own people, but also official records. Whether it is literature, legend or literary rewriting, there is only one narrative, i.e. Pinadray the King was ruling Puyuma (“Beinanmi” in Mandarin Chinese), a place in Taitung Plain, long time ago. Having probed into not only the characteristics of “Pinadray the King of Puyuma”, but also the changes such narrative might triggered throughout different historical phases, the author (of this doctoral thesis) found that those powerful “Leaders” of Puyuma had all played important and influential roles regarding the historical developments in the past. Although a variety of titles have appeared in literature and documents, such as “King” by Dutchmen, “Chief”, “Chief Native Officer”, “Yawan” and “Chief Liaison Officer” in Qing Dynasty, or “Tomok” under Japanese rule, there has been only one, and the most direct, title in folklore, and that is the “King of Puyuma”. Legend says that the King possessed extraordinary power due to the acquisition of the imperial robe of dragon. Whether the imperial symbol is a gift from Heaven or the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, it simply indicates how high the position and how great the power of the King. Furthermore, the folklore has made the King not only legendary and artistic, but also a part of people’s real life, and that definitely creates huge impacts upon promoting the legend.
As far as some scholars are concerned, whether or not Pinadray the King of Puyuma was conferred by the Emperor of Qing Dynasty is not an important issue; the entire narrative of the King presents the accumulation of historical memories. After Dutchmen left, Puyuma came across a series of special opportunities, i.e. the tribe leaders served as the Chief Native Officers, they helped the Qing Empire with the suppression of both the Zhu Yigui rebellion and the Lin Shuangwen rebellion and were later summoned by the Emperor to visit the Capital. That was said to be the beginning of the title, “Pinadray the King of Puyuma”, which then spread like wildfire. In fact, Puyuma was able to survive each and every regime change – not only successfully changed its role as the conquered, but also gradually became the strongest tribe in eastern Taiwan – not to mention the conferment. This legend of Pinadray the King of Puyuma responds to the political imaginations among the people in eastern Taiwan before receiving state governance. Having combed through a great number of explanations of and feelings about the legend of Pinadray the King of Puyuma, the Author was able to identify a clearer truth: the actual “King of Puyuma” was one of the traditional Puyuma leaders, who managed to establish some cross-tribe rule among indigenous peoples – like a confederate society, or calling it “Tribal Alliance” is even more appropriate. Thus, “He” was not only an intermediary for his own people in terms of new affairs and new knowledge, but also a promotor taking the initiative in seeking the power of “civilization”. In other words, “He” became the source that drove the internal civilization of Puyuma. “He” was not an actual “King” but became one in folklore; “Times make Heroes” had given birth to the momentum that later created the legend of Pinadray the King of Puyuma.