A book of stories about 20 Aboriginal artisans and their work preserving traditional handicrafts from six Aboriginal communities in Hualien County has been published with the aid of the Hualien County Indigenous Peoples Department.
The Illustrated Book on Aboriginal Handicrafts (原藝百工圖冊) contains pictures and descriptions of Aboriginal handicrafts, including dyed cloth, hand-carved products and woven bamboo, the county government said at the book’s launch on Thursday.
It covers works from the Amis, Bunun, Kavalan, Sakizaya, Sediq and Truku communities.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
The Council of Indigenous Peoples has praised the book for its “indicative significance” in the development of Aboriginal culture in Hualien, the county government said.
Among the artisans mentioned in the book is Hsu Hsiang-lan (徐香蘭), whose bark painting was selected by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for a gift to a foreign head of state.
Hsu is adept at the Amis traditional craft of weaving bark cloth, which she has combined with cotton to create fish-shaped water gourds and other creations, the county government said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Hsu Yu-hsiang (許有祥) and Hsu Pao-lu (許保祿), a father-and-son team who specializes in crafting hunting knives for the Truku community, have made several knives for the people of the village, the county government said.
The two were commissioned to create knives for director Wei Te-sheng’s (魏德聖) 2011 film Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (彩虹戰士:賽德克巴萊), it added.
Department Director Chen Chien-tsun (陳建村) said most of the artisans featured in the book are not well-known — a testament to the innate artistic talent of Aborigines.
The book is also a testament to the artisans’ recognition and sentiments for the land, which have supported their resolve to take on the burden of passing on the handicrafts of their forebears, Chen said.
There are about 92,000 Aborigines in the six communities, including many undiscovered talented artisans, Chen said, adding that sequels to the book would be published to expand the public’s exposure to the aesthetics and wisdom of Aborigines.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost