Page 5 - MidWeek - Dec 15, 2021

December 15, 2021 MIDWEEK 5
Taiwan & Hawai‘i
The ties between Taiwanese indigenous culture and Hawaii’s cultural past
PART THREE OF THREE
Language, culture, and arts revival in Taiwan: something to be experienced first-hand
In concluding our three-part cultural spotlight on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, we’ve covered the tribes, the customs, and now we’ll touch on the captivating arts, languages, and culture that attracts so many visitors to Taiwan year after year. Nostalgia has sparked a strong revival of ethnic pride via a resurgence of cultural practices, traditions, and tribal tongues: a nostalgia that is also felt in our Islands.
As the Native Hawaiian language beckons those longing to connect with our Islands’ storied past, the indigenous languages of Taiwan’s 16 tribes are also piquing interest. In fact, as Austronesian languages, Hawaiian and Taiwanese tribal tongues both share the same linguistic origins. Linguists have even said that Taiwan’s indigenous communication system is actually the root of all Austronesian languages, which cover Taiwan, Polynesian, Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia, to name a few. Austronesians were the earliest inhabitants of the Pacific region; and as
we learned in past weeks, the family tree includes Polynesians, who are thought to descend from indigenous Taiwanese peoples.
Large events, such as the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC), are “preserving our past, protecting our present, perpetuating our future,” for Austronesian groups (the next event is June 2024 in Hawaii), while organizations like the Austronesian Forum, established by Taiwan, are promoting cooperation and sustainable development
among Austronesian regions, and most importantly, preserving indigenous cultural heritage.
Perhaps the revival of these customs and dialects helps us feel more connected to people of the past and develop a greater appreciation of where we, too, came from. This rekindling of ethnic pride helps us
ignite the cultural power and pride so deeply embedded within us. After all, understanding our past, our culture, and our heritage, helps us gain perspective on our future. And modern Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city, is certainly brimming with modernity: street food, colorful architecture, and towering skyscrapers.
Restaurants have also held their stake as cultural culinary windows, where traditional Taiwanese dishes are shared among friends and family, who gather around the table to revel in the sociable hospitality that this cul- ture knows and loves. As sharing is a part of Taiwanese culture, community meals still are little celebratory moments throughout the day that stem from indigenous times.
This hospitality extends beyond the table, which is why people feel so welcome when they travel to Taiwan.
Once travel opens up again, perhaps you should make Taiwan your next stop for a first-hand taste of tribal tourism. You’ll be welcome with a warm smile that mirrors that of Hawaii’s celebrated spirit of aloha.
Austronesian Forum meetings
Representative from Hawaii at the Forum in 2018
Taiwan Indigenous Peoples at the FESTPAC
If this series has sparked your interest in the indigenous Taiwanese people or in traveling to Taiwan, please visit the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) website at https://www.cip.gov.tw (click on ‘English’) and Tourism Bureau, M.O.T.C. Republic of China website at https://admin.taiwan.net.tw/English/ to learn more