In return, each adult receives a monthly salary of NT$10,000 from the communal Smangus coffers.
"I am able to save most of my monthly salary because it takes several hours to get to the nearest towns and there are few places to spend our money here," says Tqbil.
Smangus also boasts a modern restaurant where the residents are provided free meals. Nearly all other family expenses, such as medical bills and school fees, are also met by the communal coffers.
Unlike their parents, who had to walk several hours to attend the nearest school, Smangus children now take lessons in the village, which is also connected to the Internet.
Three Smangus families, attracted by its eco-tourism
success, have returned, a trend residents would not have dreamed of until recently.
Wu hopes the successes of the Smangu Atayal can be duplicated among the rest of Taiwan's Aboriginal communities, who are often marginalized in the predominantly Han Chinese society.
"The possibility cannot be ruled out. However, it may take time," Wu says. "At least the other Aboriginal tribes can learn something from Smangus."
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