Kasavakan is one of ten Pinuyumayan communities in Taitung County, Taiwan. The community has experienced environmental and social changes in recent decades, speeding up the loss of language and cultural inheritance (Shih 1975). These shifts, such as migration and changes in traditional land use, directly contributed to the discontinuity of song transmission. Nowadays, Kasavakan people are working to revitalize their traditional heritage. The purpose of this study is to record and analyze the process of song revival and production.

This study discusses the following questions: Why did the Kasavakan people sing and write new songs? How did they think and act during the period of cultural decline and revival? To answer the questions, this study used a qualitative research approach, including historical research, participant observation, and interviews with people in different generations. The fieldwork was mainly conducted in the summer of 2025 and is ongoing.

The revival of traditional songs always coincides with cultural events, including rattan palm gathering and hunting for rituals. With the restoration of core physical spaces, seasonal rituals are practiced with greater stability. On the other side, the rituals lacked sufficient traditional songs. Consequently, cultural workers began composing new songs to meet ceremonial needs. Moreover, the new songs facilitate indigenous language education (Hsieh 2018). The songs were soon recognized as new folk songs, becoming a central feature of the cultural revival environment. To summarize, revival and creativity both demonstrate a desire to preserve the community’s cultural history.

This mixture of traditional forms and new creations represents a crucial outcome of the cultural revival climate. This study argues that the history of song revival and creation provides a clear reflection of the community’s resilience in maintaining its cultural identity amidst environmental and social change.