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We welcome you to read about our trip to Taiwan. Click on each photo or link (under photo) to read more about that part of the trip and to see a larger photo.
The second part of the trip to Taiwan was also very important to our mission. We left the modern sprawl of Taipei to obtain insight into the world of the indigenous people. We were also conducting prepatory research for our documentary projects. ATAYAL and MeGa Productions worked tirelessly on plans and details for our upcoming projects.
Eric Huang, who is a professional director in Taiwan, was a gracious host and he was an excellent tour guide for the second half of my visit. We picked up Marvin Couch, a Board Member of our ATAYAL organization, and his wife Nancy. He toured with us on our research leg of the trip to get an improved insight on our mission so he could better enroll support back in the United States. (Mr. Couch is a retired Florida legislator with influential connections and is a strong supporter of our organization. The trip inspired him so much, that he has taken on strong effort to promote our mission in the United States.) Eric Huang showed us Taiwan like no one other foreigner could see it. With his charm and resourcefulness, he gave us a personal glimpse into the world of the indigenous people.
The drive up the northeast coastal highway was breathtaking. After a 7-hour drive, we arrived in the coastal city of Hualien. Our first stop was the Atayal Facial Tattoo Studio, where photographer Tien Kuei-Shih, was dedicating his life to the preservation of the disappearing tattoo culture of the Atayal tribes. As only few of the Atayal people with tattoos remain, Mr. Tien's work is crucial for the preservation of living history. We enjoyed our visit and established a foundation for a beneficial relationship. That night, we met with our national park tour guides, who escorted us to our hotel in the park. The next day, our group was treated to tour of the beautiful Taroko National Park. Our guides were Miss Sandra Yu and Miss Tso, and they did a wonderful job and spoke English well.
The park is the original homeland of many of the Atayal people, and we saw many signs of their culture. We saw many of the precarious footpaths carved into the cliffs, including the ChuiLu footpath that will be the focus of our upcoming documentary film. We saw caves, in which ancient tribal people once lived. There was also a small museum of Atayal culture. As we stood between the towering cliff walls around us, we could almost hear the ancient tribal echoes from the past. People around us could hear the echoes of our howls of excitement as we learned of Tampa Bay's victory in the Superbowl. When we left Taroko National Park on our way to our next destination, Eric took us on a detour through a typical Atayal village near Taroko. We walked around the streets among the locals and could see that they were of indigenous heritage. Eric was not shy, asking strangers if we could visit with them. We visited with an matronly woman and her children, who gave us an impromptu tour. On the way out we found a wood carving studio and visited with two Atayal women. We were so enamored with the visit to this village we lost track of time and it was dark during the ride to our hotel.
The next day, we rode up the coast and through winding mountain roads south of Hualien. We drove through the beautiful hills and small villages to sample local life. In one small village we walked around and visited with local pingpu people. Pingpu people are the indigenous people from the flatlands whose cultural identities have been virtually blended out from generations of mixing with occupying people. As we passed by tea and pineapple farms, we noticed and stopped by the Tropic of Capricorn marker. While we were there playing around the imaginary line that runs around the globe, we heard the echoes of tribal songs. We followed the singing to a hotel and restaurant nearby. As luck would have it, it was a small Amis theme park that had just renovated and opened. After a feast for lunch, we toured the gardens and watched the performance of a young Amis dance troupe. Apparently, we were the first audience they had ever performed for, so we were honored and they were humble.
We drove through another small town known for its pingpu population. The "pingpu" are the indigenous cultures of the flatlands who have lost their cultural distinctiveness over the many generations of cultural mixing. In this village, we walked on foot and explored a traditional taiwanese home, where a retired teacher created beautiful calligraphy for us. We watched a metal smith in action, using an hammer, anvil and traditional tools you won't find in use in America. We came across a family of people that Eric described to us as "pingpu." We sat down with them around their outdoor fire in which they were roasting peanuts. They had a beautiful little daughter. She was shy and kept her distance, but always seemed to follow us on her bicycle. Eric finally showed us what he described as an authentic pingpu house, which was one of only two he knew of in Taiwan.
On our way to the Hualien airport we stopped by the business of Eric's good friend. It was a hotel and Amis indigenous attraction located on the beach just south of Hualien. He is a well-known local artist and musician who has an entrepreneurial spirit I was looking for. Eric also took us to another business of an Amis friend. He actually began the first whalewatching boat tour, which has grown into a big business in the area with many other businesses following suit. We caught a late airplane to Taichung, where we spent the next day. We toured the city, and visited a local native culture museum, which displayed a few indigenous artifacts and photos. The rest of our trip was spent with family celebrating the Chinese New Year. All of us returned home with our fill of culture and full of hope for the future of ATAYAL. |
