Taiwan · Architectural Craft / Ritual Craft
鄒族庫巴 (Tsou zu kuba)
The Tsou people of Alishan (Chiayi County) maintain the tradition of building and maintaining the kuba — the men's sacred ceremonial house at the center of each Tsou village — using specific ritual building materials and a construction sequence governed by Tsou customary law. The kuba's defining material is the miscanthus grass thatch (daxian) that covers the roof — applied in horizontal layers from eave to ridge with each layer overlapping the previous by exactly two hand-widths. This two-hand-width overlap is not merely aesthetic: it is the minimum overlap that produces the waterproofing needed in Alishan's high-rainfall environment (Alishan receives approximately 4,000mm annual rainfall — one of Taiwan's highest). The miscanthus application technique — how the grass bundle is held, compressed, and tied to the roof structure — is specific to the kuba and distinct from ordinary domestic thatching in the region.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Taiwan national ICH list; mayasvi ceremony separately listed
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