2022-10-06
Passing the Baton: A Long Overdue Homecoming in Mountains | Plutut:Embrinah sapah dgiyaq
Photo Credit: Lin Jing-Yi
Laipunuk is the southmost stop of the migration of the Bunun people, and the final blank space on the map of Taiwan during Japanese colonization. After much bloodshed and confrontations, the Bunun people were forced to relocate on a large scale to flat land. Although the mountain remained in place all this time, they never got to return home.......
2022-08-18
Passing the Baton: Surprisingly Fun-Loving Atayal | Patarwamara: matyangulwalwadhane ka vai
Photo Credit: Huang Jiang-Bing
Sitting in the deep mountains of Wutai, at the southernmost tip of the Central Mountain Range, Cekele Adiri, the Adiri Community, was relocated down the mountains to permanent housing after Typhoon Morakot. Traveling often between Taichung and Cekele Adiri, the urban indigenous kid Muni Druluan finds the road home thus much shorter...
2022-06-25
Finding the Feel of Your Own Body | taSilotor: komi:im ray basang ka hin’azem
Photo Credit: Lin Jing-Yi
How close to reality is your impression of indigenous people?
Given the fact that their traditional ways of life are far removed from those of most people, and that most communities are beyond their daily reach,
a popular stereotypical image of being “indigenous” has been forged through the propagation of school textbooks and media coverage.
But this time, instead of waging a war of words over the issue, we want the non-indigenous to get to know us for themselves by inviting them over for a firsthand experience of the indigenous life.
2021-12-06
Passing the Baton - What to Do in the Water? | sinbilan: tmllyung?
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
There’s a taboo in indigenous hunting — you can’t decide beforehand what to hunt and how much to take. Resources are a gift from nature; there isn’t an endless supply for us humans to use.
Oceans and rivers provide a rich source of food and nutrients. We have a saying, “the ocean is our refrigerator.” But hold on a minute. When I go to the water, down to the fridge to get some food, why do I find flyers, garbage, and so many tourists? I haven’t thought about what food I will take, but this isn’t the ocean I used to know.
2021-10-04
Passing the Baton - Approaching the Mountains with Observant Eyes | Plutut：Qlhangi gaya dgiyaq
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
Notice for Visitors
In order to prevent outside visitors from developing stereotypes or misconceptions about the situations of Taiwan’s indigenous groups due to lack of knowledge of indigenous cultures, this month’s Indigenous Sight has invited several outstanding mountain guides and forest experts to introduce the island’s abundant ecological resources, as well as the wisdom of indigenous peoples to coexist with nature. We highly recommend you read the following content in detail because it’s so informative that you don’t want to pass it up. ...
2021-08-03
Passing the Baton: Hear, My Indigenous Sounds. | pasevalit: ulja lemangdasun ta uljingav
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
In the age without written language, indigenous peoples convey messages by singing. Human’s life was tightly intertwined with nature and the sounds of nature shaped the cultural wisdom of indigenous peoples. The knowledge of survival, ancestors’ teaching and experiences accumulated over generations were translated into ballads which circulate among the community so future generations can trace memories deposited in songs to explore their ethnic roots and stories of the people before them.
2021-06-24
Passing the Baton – Speaking Out for Communities | iakuan: anshaishin iamin a kmalawa
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
Before the 1990s, a long-standing neglect of indigenous peoples’ ethnic status meant that Taiwan had never seen a clear government policy on indigenous rights. Indigenous peoples took to the streets to dismantle barriers brought by state and mainstream society. They claimed the rights that were their due, and established their status and collective rights.
......
2020-12-04
“Men Are Hunters, Women Are Weavers” Are Traditional Gender Roles Unbreakable?
Written by Liang Wen-Jing; Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
Traditionally, indigenous peoples usually used gender to determine a person’s role in society. ......The gender-based division of labor gradually form a part of the people’s traditional social order, and also generates unique gender taboos in different communities. However, as times change, is there any chance for modern indigenous peoples to break through these traditional gender roles?
2020-09-23
Crossing into Different Lives
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
The expectations for life,
definition of dreams,
how many times have we hesitated because of reality?
2020-06-21
Spending a Lifetime to Become a True Indigenous Person
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
How difficult is it to be a “real” indigenous person?
We need to have dark skin, be very good at singing, be athletic;
sometimes we have to be humorous, optimistic, and also a very good drinker!
But what if we don’t fit social expectations?
Does that mean I’m not a “real” indigenous person?
2020-04-23
pimasaodan namen | Life, with Indigenous Peoples
Moving beyond just preserving traditions,
indigenous peoples are adding modern life elements into old ways
and creating a new path for culture representation....
2019-11-28
pahaihian ni saw ki yami | The Forgotten Peoples
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
In what way should the history of Taiwan be interpreted?