The Batolan Society is an eastern migrating branch of the Truku group of the Seediq tribe, known for their fierce resistance against the Japanese during the Taroko War. They lived upstream of the Mugua River. In May 1914 (the 3rd year of the Taisho era), the Taroko War broke out. The Japanese Governor-General, Sakuma Samata, led military and police forces from four directions to attack the Taroko people. Due to the overwhelming advantage in both manpower and weaponry, the Japanese largely concluded the war by August of the same year. Subsequently, the Japanese established police stations and carved out roads within the tribe’s territory to carry out assimilation and surveillance of the indigenous people.

The chief of the Batolan Society, Kala Watan, led the Batolan Society against the Japanese during the Taroko War. In a photograph, the man on the right is Kala Watan, who was wounded in an attack on the Cao Village detachment, with a bullet wound in his left throat and back and a fractured left arm.

This image is included in the book “Gu Wo Huilan: A Collection of Historical Images of Hualien,” written by Mr. Ye Boqiang and published by the Hualien County Cultural Affairs Bureau in 2016 (105th year of the Republic of China). The book documents nearly a century of urban history in Hualien, making it a rich source of cultural and historical information and imagery.

Author: Zeng Yizheng