This English translation of Diguwan provides a potentially broad readership with fresh insight into native Formosan history in the twentieth century. The opening passages introduce the reader to the socio/economic life of the villagers, including their trading practices with nearby towns. The rebellious people of Naibeluk are singled out in the narrative as especially dangerous but essential to the economy of the Damalagaw. The Japanese authorities in Tatan, the provincial seat of Japanese rule, discouraged trade with the Naibeluk, especially suppressing all barter for guns and ammunition which would be used by the Damalagaw and other regional towns if they rose up in rebellion against Japanese colonial rule.In the following chapters, the reader is caught up in dramatic events surrounding the suicide of an abused Chinese woman whose family lived on the outskirts of Damalagaw, the village featured in the narrative.  Badai's handling of this scene leaves the uninitiated reader with many questions about the personalities and cultural habits of the characters involved in the events unraveling from the pivotal cemetery drama. In a sense, the cemetery scene sets the stage for the rest of the novel where the reader is introduced to a rich cast of characters, both native and Chinese, men and women, villagers and Japanese authorities. Woven into the encounters of these distinctive character, with their conflicting motivations, Badai reveals deep cultural differences which lie at the roots of contemporary Taiwan society. It is a good tale, full of complex characters. Some are cunning, some are foolish and gullable; others are saturated with magical powers pivotal to the plot development. One of these persons of magical ability is Diguwan, a village woman of such importance to the narrative that Badai named the novel after her.

Sorceress Diguwan (Damalagaw Series)

Badai

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Books by Badai

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Sorceress Diguwan (Damalagaw Series)