Crossing into Different Lives

The expectations for life, definition of dreams, how many times have we hesitated because of reality?

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.

Hla’alua is one of the endangered indigenous languages in Taiwan. The language and culture of the Hla’alua are on the verge of being lost due to its sparse population. But thanks to the unceasing efforts of amalanamahlʉ salapuana, the 72 years old village elder who initiated the Hla’alua revitalization project more than a decade ago, the language has been passed on to the next generation, heading toward a promising future of revitalization.

In March of 2020, an unexpected foreign contestant amazed the storytelling competition held by Hualien City Office for promoting indigenous languages. Speaking Sakizaya fluently, this dark horse told a vivid story of a young man’s unsuccessful quest for a girlfriend. Although it was his first time to enter the competition, he ended up with the third place, which immediately became a topic of discussion in the circle of indigenous language promoters: There is a foreigner in Hualien who can speak Sakizaya!

Many indigenous people in Taiwan are living in non-indigenous cities and towns due to changes in environment and for work or study. “Coming home” is the ultimate wish they have in their hearts, and many of them bring what they have learned in the cities back to their home villages to give back to their community. These different types of trade become the livelihood of many returning community members.

Though none of them is of indigenous descent, the team members at innovative travel group Profound Life still guides travelers to experience indigenous village life with vigor. The team collaborates with indigenous young people who have returned to their home communities to roll out travel itineraries. Travelers are invited to enter the villages and spend two days and one night with local community members in the mountains.

Paiwan youth Vuluk Pavavaljung from Pingtung County’s Shandimen Township has always been interested in insects, and eventually chose to study entomology in university. Combining his professional knowledge with the experience of living in his indigenous village, Vuluk shares his observations on community flora and fauna on his Facebook fanpage “The Indigenous Biology Log”.

Compared to the ethnic separation in the 1950s and 1960s, interracial marriage is now very common. Marriage between different races can lead to a lot of getting used to, learning about and compromising for families on both sides as well as across generations.

from a marriage when both parties are indigenous persons, and one of them the future community leader of an indigenous village? With love and tolerance, Dremedreman Curimudjuq and Daniel Moore slowly break through the boundaries and barriers of culture and nationality, and integrate each other's cultures into their lives with acceptance.

RubyRed, half Seediq and half Hakka, survived her difficult teenage years with her passion for dancing, and danced her way into a cross-cultural marriage. She has been promoting the reggae culture with her Jamaican husband, Chad Omar Grant, from the States. With empathy, they try to understand each other's life and culture, and resolve the most difficult issue of cross-cultural marriage, which is cultural difference.

With the society developing diversely, our awareness of gender identity is comparatively more courageously exposed. But the structure and indigenous village culture unique to the indigenous society coupled with the religious and colonial experiences, means that most indigenous peoples are facing a more pressing matter of indigenous identity. The intimate connection between indigenous villages and the church also reinforced people's idea of gender binary.

On the night of December 15, 2018, a special music festival took place on the playgrounds of the Timur Elementary School in Sandimen Townshjp, Pingtung County. Many adjus walk in heels glamorously dressed. Holding hands, they enjoyed the cozy musical environment, and the freedom to show their true colors in front of families and friends. Organized by Colorful Wi, this is the Adju Music Festival, the first musical event featuring indigenous LGBTIQ in the world.