Taiwan's indigenous people

I'm deeply involved in the indigenous community here in Taiwan, and have been documenting it for several years.

One

Children of the Atayal people (泰雅&#26063, one of Taiwan's indigenous tribes, in the tiny tribal settlement of Qingquan (清泉部&#33853, in the mountains of Wufeng township (五峰&#37129, in Xinzhu County (新&#31481.



Two

The final morning of a week long festival, the Bā Sī Dá Ài (巴斯達&#38552, held every two years by the Saisiyat people (賽夏&#26063, one of Taiwan's indigenous tribes. The Saisiyat hold the festival in the mountains of Wufeng township (五峰&#37129, in Xinzhu County (新&#31481, to commemorate an ancient tribe they destroyed, and seek forgiveness from their spirits.



Three

A rock band of the the Saisiyat people (賽夏&#26063, one of Taiwan's indigenous tribes, performing at an indigenous music festival in the tiny tribal settlement of Qingquan (清泉部&#33853, in the mountains of Wufeng township (五峰&#37129, in Xinzhu County (新&#31481.



Four - Five

Members of the Paiwan tribe (排灣&#26063, one of Taiwan's indigenous tribes, performing at an indigenous song and dance festival in Taipei.

Those facial expressions in that first photo are world class.

excellent! thanks for sharing!

Really interesting photos. Thanks for posting.

I really enjoyed the few days I spent in Taiwan some moons ago. I've always thought that markets are a reflexion of societies and I had a great time at a couple in Taipei (awesome food too!).

Thanks for the compliments.

August West said:

Those facial expressions in that first photo are world class.

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Oh yes, very characteristic. That was the first time I met those three girls. Since then the two on the left (who are sisters), have become my god-daughters.

lloydrm said:

I really enjoyed the few days I spent in Taiwan some moons ago. I've always thought that markets are a reflexion of societies and I had a great time at a couple in Taipei (awesome food too!).

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I agree with that. The nightmarkets in Taiwan are well known, and Taiwan is recognized internationally for its food.

That first picture is a winner.

ouch said:

That first picture is a winner.

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Thanks, that one was recently chosen for display at the Taiwanese American Heritage Week photography exhibition at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

leather & steel said:

Thanks, that one was recently chosen for display at the Taiwanese American Heritage Week photography exhibition at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

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Rightly so.

Lovely photos!

You should see how those girls have grown up. Those photos were taken in 2011. These photos were all taken in the last six months. Here's the girl on the left, Gao Yun Ru.



Here's the girl in the middle (her sister), Gao Yun Cun.



Here's the girl on the right, Lai Nian Lin.

Very cool pics. Thanks for your work with these tribes.

These are excellent photos. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for the support everyone. Taiwan's indigenous people suffer from the same kinds of problems as most indigenous people, but in many ways they are much better off than those in some countries. One advantage they have over some indigenous groups is a very broad and strong sense of solidarity; they are generally very united. It's a pleasure and privilege to be accepted into their community as a friend.

leather & steel said:

Thanks for the support everyone. Taiwan's indigenous people suffer from the same kinds of problems as most indigenous people, but in many ways they are much better off than those in some countries. One advantage they have over some indigenous groups is a very broad and strong sense of solidarity; they are generally very united. It's a pleasure and privilege to be accepted into their community as a friend.

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You must have developed a bond of trust.

It is reflected in the eyes and facial expressions in the second set of photos.

You should have them reenact the first picture.

August West said:

You must have developed a bond of trust. It is reflected in the eyes and facial expressions in the second set of photos.

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Excellent observation. Those three girls are very dear to me, and they know it. I still remember when members of Gao Yun Ru and Gao Yun Cun's extended family approached me and asked if I could become their godfather. They had seen me taking a special interest in the two girls (whose mother is dead, and whose father has long since stopped looking after them, living hours away in a different county and visiting them in a rather disinterested way once every one or two months), and had recognized the rapport that developed between us.

It took me over a year to gradually become accepted in the village. It's fairly isolated, up in the mountains nearly an hour from the nearest small town (which only has about 96,000 people in it), and these villages tend to be pretty cautious about outsiders. Not in the hostile sense, it's just that they're so used to having to be independent (the local government councils are typically slack about providing services to the villages), and they're so used to people simply not being interested in them, that they usually assume you're a tourist passing through, or you're there because you want to get something out of them.

It was even harder for me, as a non-citizen of Taiwan, not even Chinese, and with my Chinese ability as limited as it was. I struggled to even get people to talk with me at first. It all became a lot easier after I had been visiting regularly, and managed to get to know a couple of families. I started bringing prints (8x12"), of the photos I had taken of the children on my last visit, and sending them home with the kids, or giving them to the people I got to know at the market. I also started going to the churches whenever I was there on a Sunday; people were very pleased to know I was a Christian (the majority of the indigenous people are Christian), and it helped that we had something in common.

I also managed to get to know some of the teachers at the local school. Fortunately they were far more understanding and broadminded; they could really appreciate the fact that I was there simply because I was interested and cared. They vouched for me to other people in the village. One day when I went there for the annual graduation ceremony, the principal had me stand in front of the audience and introduced me formally, saying "This is the guy who comes up here all the time and takes those great photos of your kids which they bring home, let's all thank him and give him a big hand", which was really good of him. It all became a lot easier after that.

So now when I go there, it looks like this.

ouch said:

You should have them reenact the first picture.

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That's an excellent idea!

That is a lovely video and enjoy your time with them.

How did I miss this post?! Very cool!

I lived Taiwan for a year when I was three - my dad was in the USAF and we were stationed there. Obviously, I don't remember much, I am 50 now, but I do remember a lizard that used to hang from the ceiling of my bedroom. I looked at it and I imagined it looking back at me. Oh yeah, also the huge cockroaches and a monsoon that swept through. I remember it as being a wonderful time.
Thank you for sharing.