Six Tao Aborigines from Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) rowing one of their traditional fishing boats around Taiwan are nearing completion of a voyage inspired by a late documentary filmmaker.
The six Tao arrived in Chiayi County on Thursday as they rowed their white, red and black canoe-like wooden boat, called a tatala in the Tao language.
Because such boats are not made from a single tree trunk or log, they are not considered to be canoes.
Chang Shih-kai (張世凱), the Tao rower who initiated the voyage, said the trip was inspired by late Taiwanese filmmaker Chi Po-lin (齊柏林), best known for his 2013 film Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above (看見台灣), which was named best documentary at the 2013 Golden Horse Awards.
Chi died in a helicopter crash in October 2017 at the age of 52 while shooting footage for a sequel to the film.
Chang said he had made a deal with Chi to row the tatala around Taiwan, a promise he wanted to keep.
The rowers also wanted to become acquainted with Taiwan’s other officially recognized Aboriginal groups through the voyage, he said.
“My desire has been to search for Lanyu people who are scattered around Taiwan proper and their offspring,” Chang said.
Chang’s team set off from a beach in Changbin Township (長濱) in Taitung County on Aug. 12 and rowed the vessel in a northern direction, helped along by the Kuroshio Current, a north-flowing warm current in the western Pacific.
The Tao rowers then rounded northern Taiwan before heading southward in the Taiwan Strait. The team is scheduled to complete their journey in Pingtung County on Tuesday.
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