Editorial

The ocean takes on different colors at sunrise and sunset, its scenery changing as the tide rises and falls. The ocean is an ever-changing beauty created by God. When you dive into the water, the sea’s flat surface transforms into a three-dimensional space right before your eyes. You are greeted with a diverse and complete ocean ecosystem... colorful coral reefs, eels peering out of holes, octopus squeezing under rocks, schools of tropical fish...

In the Thao lexicon, Sun Moon Lake and the sea are both called “wazaqan”. For the Thao people, Sun Moon Lake is like the sea. This year, three Tao Kuroshio Warriors sailed a tatala on a trip around Taiwan. In August they brought their traditional fishing canoe to Sun Moon Lake and met two Thao canoes, marking the first time our traditional Austronesian boats were paddled at 748 meters above sea level. Through boats and shipbuilding traditions, the two peoples came together to experience the wisdom and culture of their ancestors...

The life of indigenous peoples is closely tied to nature. They do not just live in, but also collect and hunt from nature. The high reliance of indigenous peoples on nature helps them to develop the ideology of living with nature in peace while respecting nature....Different from consumerism, what indigenous peoples believe in is contentment and frugality so as to live in harmony with nature....

Contemporary society calls it “traditional territory” - land that has been occupied and managed by indigenous communities, clans, and ethnic groups for generations. While non-indigenous people learn about Taiwan by administrative district, indigenous people grow up on mountains and in forests learning from elders to live harmoniously with all things in nature....We believe everything has a spirit. We abide by traditional rituals and taboos. We coexist and prosper with nature. This is why our connection to the land is so close.

For indigenous peoples, sound is an important vehicle to convey messages. karyag (a Tao musical get-together for rhythmic clapping and singing) is one such example, an event that was originally held to encourage single youths to meet. Participants sat around a working area, rhythmically clapping and singing a back-and-forth conversation to show off their vocal and lyrical skills. When the government constructed a large number of concrete buildings in the 1980s, these performance areas disappeared and karyag gradually fell into decline.

I started songwriting at age thirteen and released my first Thao-language album in 2017. At 24, I joined an Indigenous Music Society, where senior members led me to perform indigenous songs, and that was then I started singing on stage. These experiences influenced my feelings towards the different generations...

A key to the flourishing indigenous movement of the 1980s was a clear objective stemming from an ethnic perspective. Besides appealing to political power, activists of the previous generation interpreted the subjectivity of indigenous cultures....

Compared to the indigenous movement of 40 years ago, the current “post-indigenous movement era” has a completely different set of strategies and tools. Transmitting messages in the past was time-consuming and labor intensive, while today’s high-speed information flow through social media and access to the internet makes bringing issues to light and calling for mobilization much easier. By utilizing different social platforms, indigenous movements can gain recognition and attract support across a broad range of ethnic groups, making the discussion of indigenous issues more diverse...

The division of space in my hometown, the Orchid Island, is closely related to gender...

In indigenous communities, men traditionally assume the role of handling public affairs; women take care of the family...

Traditional villages impose specific age rules and have their own systems to follow. It is always the village elders that provide opinions and make decisions on public affairs. However, when young people return to villages, they are faced with the predicament where they cannot voice their opinions freely...

As the number of younger people returning to villages increases, a new force starts to form. The younger generation has come into contact with other groups within society, bringing back new ideas and fresh perspectives. Innovative approaches or solutions can then be derived when discussing issues in the villages. This youthful energy is front and center since it provides indigenous villages with a fresh impetus for a better development.