2021-10-04
Making Truku Bow and Arrows | Chung De-Rong
Written by Chen I-Ru; Photo credit: Lin Yi-Jing; Translated by Ker Nai-Yu
Chung De-Rong began making bows and arrows with his grandfather after his discharge from the military service. Slowly, he shares the steps of bow and arrow making with every detail tied to the wisdom of his ancestors. In this age, when fewer and fewer indigenous persons know how to make bow and arrow, his skill is even more precious.
2021-08-03
We Sing Joyously without Sleep | The karyag, Clap and Sing
Written by Liang Weng-Jin; Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong; Translated by Ker Nai-Yu
Karyag is a unique singing culture of the Tao people, only held on summer nights in specific months. Young boys and girls may attend freely regardless of social status, and clap and sing until dawn. Elders jokingly describes karyag as the traditional karaoke of the Tao people.
2021-06-24
Down the Road of Indigenous Movement with Courage | Panu Lhkapamumu
Written by Liang Weng-Jin; Photo credits: Huang Tzu-Ming, Tsai Shi-Hao
From Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Right Advocacy Association to Thao Cultural Development Association, Panu Lhkapamumu has spent his life fighting for the rights of indigenous peoples in Taiwan. At 60 years old, he is still full of life with eyes gleaming at the mention of indigenous affairs, “I have dedicated my life to indigenous peoples in Taiwan.”
2020-12-03
The Era of Women | Knxalan kykuyuh
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
Be frugal and keep house,
be hardworking and resilient,
be gentle and considerate
How many social expectations have bonded our last generation of women?
...
2020-09-23
Speaking to the World in Our Languages
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
A language is a tool for conveying emotions and bridging ideas, and we cannot live without it in our lives. Yet, with the rapid pace of modernization, Taiwan’s indigenous communities are facing the aggressive impact of the mainstream culture, pushing indigenous languages to the brink of extinction. The loss of language and inability to speak one’s mother tongue will result in the disconnection between people due to the lack of dialogue, ending up with a fractured and unsustainable culture.
2020-06-21
Call Me by My Name
Written by Kuo Po-Jiun; Translated by 陶欣念 Hsin-Nien Tao; Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
If you think “John Doe” can be a placeholder for any type of name, think again! Indigenous naming practices are not as straightforward. Surnames do not exist in indigenous society. In fact, indigenous names usually have a unique structure that can help people identify lineage and avoid intermarrying.
2020-04-23
The Taste of Home and Cultural Identity Constructed Through Food
Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
Food is not just what we eat to fill our stomach.
Rather, it is a path that links one’s cultural identity and life memories.
Through food and cooking, we not only carry on the spirit of traditions,
but also construct our own culinary culture.
2019-11-28
Not Just “Becoming Non-indigenous”: The Neglected History of the Taiwanese Plains Indigenous Peoples
Written by Ｍuni Druluan; Translated by 陳德怡 Deh I Chen; Illustrated by Yellow Nose
Colonialism and invasion concepts brought forth by imperialism are dismissed as diplomatic power struggles in history. The indigenous peoples who fought relentlessly against the foreign powers, who were forced to migrate and into hiding again and again throughout history lost their culture and roots, and gradually “became Non-indigenous (people)” - this is the basic impression the Taiwanese public has of the plains indigenous peoples.
2019-10-23
Seeking Employment in the City
Written by Savungaz Valincinan; Translated by 柯乃瑜 Nai-yu Ker; Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
My parents sent me wandering
I wept as I walked
Where to? To Taipei
My loved one is not there
It hurts so bad inside,
can't find my loved one.
──Wandering to Taipei
The lyrics describe how indigenous peoples felt when they left home to work in the city.
2019-09-24
Urban Indigenous Peoples - their Past, their Present, their Future
Written by Hafay Nikar; Translated by 陳德怡 Deh I Chen; Illustrated by Lin Jia-Dong
Migration is when a group of people leave their original living place and begin a new life in another location.
2019-09-11
Fundamental Facts about Indigenous Traditional Territory
Edited by Kuo Po-Jiun; Translated by 林士棻 Shihfen Lin; Illustrated by Hung Fu-Tien
In the past, Taiwan was once inhabited by a variety of indigenous peoples in different areas across the island. But in the course of history......
2018-12-06
Seeing the 30 Years of Indigenous Movements
Written by Kuo Po-Jiun; Translated by 吳宜錚 Sally I.C. Wu; Photo provided by Huang Tzi-Ming
In the journey of more than 30-year indigenous movements, indigenous peoples went out to the street and suffered social confrontation and injustice...