The Aboriginal Traditional Culture and Arts Enhancement Project in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) is to serve as a culture and history research base for indigenous people in the area, Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod said at a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday.
The project, proposed in 2012, went through 14 rounds of bidding until it secured a contractor last year.
The council is to allocate NT$179.75 million (US$6.1 million) for the project, making it the biggest council-funded project to date.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
The project is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Village council chairperson Tsai Yi-chang (蔡義昌) said that the land on which the center is being built originally belonged to the Amis community of Fataan, but a dispute over its ownership arose after it was turned into a camping park.
Tsai thanked the council and Hualien County Commissioner Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) for their assistance in regaining the land over the past decade.
Icyang said he was honored to represent President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) at the ceremony, and that the amount of funding for the project symbolized the government’s recognition of Amis and other indigneous cultures.
The project would not only be an important place for residents to pass down their culture to young people in the village and to host the Ilisin (harvest) ceremony, but also a palce for local and foreign tourists to better understand the Amis people and their culture, Icyang said.
Initial funding for the project in 2017 was insufficient as the prices of materials have increased over the years, Icyang said, adding that the project would be separated into two phases.
He urged the Yilan County Government to finalize its proposal for the project’s second phase as soon as possible, adding that the Executive Yuan would provide whatever assistance it can.
Fataan elder Tsai Chih-hui (蔡智輝) said the village was excited that the project was finally proceeding after 10 years, adding that the village has been in discussion with Academia Sinica over the past two years for the return of the village’s cultural and historical relics.
Researchers from Academia Sinica in the 1950s visited Fataan many times, cataloging and taking more than 533 relics for preservation, as well as compiling texts on village culture, Hualien County Councilor Tsai Yi-ching (蔡依靜) said.
The recordings Academia Sinica made with the last sapalengaw chief Unak Tafong in 1959 were a critical piece of the village’s culture and history preserved, Tsai Yi-ching added.
Sapalengaw means a chief and priest who is recognized by the ancestral spirits.
The council said it supported the move to bring cultural relics back to the village, adding that this was a representation of transitional justice and respecting the culture of indigenous people.
The council said that as long as the village and local governments arrive at a consensus, the council would fully support any applications made.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS