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East Coast gets ready

Taiwan's favorite eco-musician, Matthew Lien, right, does the ``this bottle of beer is my microphone'' trick. PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTHEW LIEN

Readers living in the Taitung area looking for an entertaining way to spend the weekend might want to consider visiting Dulan (都蘭) tomorrow when the normally sleepy little backwater town comes to life for the annual Dulan Art Festival (都蘭藝術節). Established three years ago, the festival has become one of the East Coast's best attended events and attracts large crowds of locals and tourists alike.

Located roughly 15km north of Taitung City, Dulan is the largest Ami settlement on the southern east coast and boasts a rich and colorful Aboriginal history. The town is considered by many to be the center of Ami culture and is home to several of Taiwan's oldest archeological remains of the island's Beinan culture.

While legal battles over land ownership and opposition to the proposed building of a five star resort facility have raised the ire of the town's Ami peoples in recent years, political wrangling will take a backseat over the coming week.

Jointly organized by the Council for Cultural Affairs and the Taitung County Government, the weeklong celebrations take place in the town's long-abandoned sugar factory. Since 2002 the factory has been home to local artists many of whom have transformed the factory's derelict warehouses into studios and galleries.

The festival includes performances of both modern and traditional Ami dance groups, art exhibitions and workshops hosted by local Ami artists, documentary screenings and rock concerts featuring several of the east coast-based acts like Kimbo (胡德夫), Panai (巴奈) and Taitung County's own award-winning singing policeman Chen Jien-nien (陳建年).

In addition to the numerous performances by local acts Taiwan's favorite eco-musician, Matthew Lien will also be on hand and adding an international flavor to the festivities when he performs at the opening ceremony tomorrow.

Lien's presence in Dulan is not uncommon. Over the past couple of years the town has become a home away from home for the musician. He has become so fascinated with the town, its people and its rich Aboriginal heritage that in August this year he began a recording project there.

The aim of the project is to document and archive both traditional and contemporary Ami music. What began as a hobby, however, has since become a fulltime job for the Golden Melody Award winning

musician.

"It started as something I did in my spare time. As the workload picked up and I learned more about Ami music I realized that archiving and documenting traditional Ami music was a fulltime endeavor," Lien said. "After it's complete, copies of the recordings will be given to Taitung County Government and the National Center for Musical Archives in Taipei."

Although organized by the government, the Dulan Art Festival should not be confused with the more commercial affairs at which Aborigines are expected to dress up in their traditional garb and parade around for ignorant camera wielding tourists to gawk at.

The Dulan Festival is a grassroots celebration of Ami culture and one that Dulan community leaders and residents alike both take great pride in.

Along with the performances and art exhibitions visitors get the chance to sample a smorgasbord of local fare such as wild boar and exceptionally fiery chili peppers. High spirits will be the order of the day in Dulan this weekend and a lot of drinking will take place. Chances are that anyone who chooses to visit the town will be offered a glass or two of the potent local rice wine at some point or another.
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