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Tsou tribe father and son pursue graduate studies

A father and son of the Tsou tribe will pursue masters degrees at the same school, with the goal of using knowledge to protect tribal culture.

Chuang Hsin-sheng (莊新生), 57, and his son Chuang Chih-cheng (莊志成), 28, will begin their studies at the National University of Tainan’s Graduate Institute of Taiwan Culture next month.

The father, a respected Tsou elder, said that he took the entrance exam for three consecutive years and finally passed it this year.

He has served as the chief executive officer of the Cultural and Arts Development Fund for the Tsou tribe in Chaiyi County. He is also a Tsou culture guide for visitors in the county and has compiled and organized cultural and historical documents.

ORGANIZATION

The Tsou tribe, numbering around 6,300, live mainly in Chiayi County. They are known for having a strict tribal organization in which men’s meeting houses, farming, fishing and hunting rituals play key roles in passing on education and beliefs.

Chuang hopes that graduate training will help him do a better job of archiving tribal culture and art and revitalizing and preserving the Tsou language.
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