Since the council was established, four new tribes have been added to the original nine.
Formal recognition by the Council confers legal benefits and rights upon a group. It also provides the tribe with the satisfaction of recovering their separate identity as a people.
Though the process for recognition is not directly based on root searching, the trip is a powerfully symbolic way for local Aboriginal leaders to increase their power and awareness of a tribe's uniqueness.
According to Lin Chiang-i (林江義), the council's director for planning, tribes wanting recognition must gather a body of supportive evidence in order to successfully petition the council.
"This includes their language, history and the locations where the tribe currently resides. But one of the most important factors is tracing the genealogical roots of members of the group," he said.
Back on the mountain Baribas stands with Valjakas and calls out to their ancestral spirits. Four hunters lift their guns and fire into the air and a feast consisting of sticky rice wrapped in leaves and mountain boar begins.
Valjakas says he is looking forward to the stories told by the elders.
"It is the best way to keep contact with our ancestors," he says.
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