The success of Aboriginal choir groups over the past few years at numerous international events shows the success of programs teaching Aboriginal languages and gives Aborigines hope that their customs and traditions will not vanish, a Pingtung County Government official said.
Not having developed their own writing systems, Aborigines have relied on the use of songs to pass down tribal wisdom — customs, rites and traditions — from generation to generation, the official said.
However, the songs were themselves dry and uninteresting to younger generations and were in danger of being lost, the official added.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
Taiwu Ancient Ballads Troupe founder and instructor Camake Valaule said that efforts to find old songs and conserve them were abandoned for at least a generation.
“Even the elders sometimes say that learning about the old songs is not worth it,” Camake said.
Cingyeh Elementary School choir instructor Tang Hsiu-yueh (唐秀月) echoed the concern, saying that if children are not taught their native language at a young age, soon no one would know how to sing the songs anymore.
Efforts to promote Aboriginal language education for children within the nation are helping to mitigate the danger, Pingtung County Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director Wu Li-hua (伍麗華) said.
The bureau and other organizations have conducted many field studies on the Paiwan and Rukai languages, the two most prevalent Aboriginal languages in the county, Wu said.
The county spearheaded the movement of starting Aboriginal choir groups, encouraging a shift from using the bel canto method of singing the songs of other groups to having elementary-school choir groups sing their own Aboriginal songs as the songs were meant to be sung.
As a result, many Aboriginal choir groups — including the Taiwu Ancient Ballade Troupe, the Cingyeh Choir and the Puzangalan Children’s Choir — have allowed the world to see the “real” Taiwan.
Puzangalan Children’s Choir instructor Wu Sheng-ying (吳聖穎) said that the choir included a Paiwan song in its performance last week at the 11th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival and Competition.
The choir won first place in the Children’s Choirs category, as well as placing second in the Folklore category and fifth in the Sacred Choral Music a capella category.
Tang said that those in the choir at Cingyeh Elementary School have become more confident about their Aboriginal culture over the past few years after discovering that the songs of their ancestors are appreciated by others in the world.
The older generation now has hope that customs and traditions will be passed on, Camake said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or