A joint initiative by Taiwan, France and Austria is to preserve and publish a collection of ancient songs recorded on Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) of the Tao people, an indigenous Taiwanese community, the Taiwan Music Institute (TMI) announced yesterday.
The project brings together TMI, France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Artistic Research Center (ARC) at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, TMI said in a news release.
The collaboration is to result in the publication of a book next year and marks the first large-scale effort between the three countries to preserve indigenous cultural heritage, the institute said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Music Institute
The effort centers on a 50-year archive compiled by French anthropologist Veronique Arnaud, who conducted long-term fieldwork among the Tao people on Orchid Island, located off Taiwan’s southeastern coast.
Arnaud, a leading Southeast Asia expert who lived for years in Langdao (Iraraley) Village, donated more than 500 hours of recordings to CNRS in 2013, TMI said.
TMI said that Arnaud passed away in 2022, and some of her recordings have not yet been translated or studied, which prompted this new collaboration.
Under authorization from CNRS, the audio files would be made available on TMI’s online platform, while ARC would be involved in the translation of the recordings, the institute said.
TMI added that the team is to incorporate handwritten song manuscripts collected by ethnomusicologist Chien Shan-hua (錢善華) and cultural worker Syaman Vengayen (郭健平).
At a news conference yesterday, Tao elder Syapen Meylamney sang a traditional song.
This was followed by other members of the indigenous community performing the traditional “Hair Dance,” which typically features Tao women gracefully swinging their long hair.
Speaking at the event, Syaman Vengayen described Arnaud as “a member of the tribe” and said Tao culture must never be overlooked or allowed to disappear.
Chen Yue-yi (陳悅宜), director of the National Center for Traditional Arts which oversees the institute, said the songs reflect the Tao people’s wisdom and collective memory.
Christian Helbig, head of the Austrian Office Taipei, said Austria places a high value on preserving musical culture and called the collaboration a valuable opportunity for international exchange and innovation.
Clea Le Cardeur, deputy director of the French Office in Taipei, said Arnaud’s lifelong commitment to Orchid Island was key to the project’s launch and thanked all participating parties.
Lin Wei-ya (林維亞), who is leading the project, said the research is to proceed in three phases.
The team would first build a song database and keyword system, then analyze the music and finally create a classification framework rooted in indigenous perspectives, along with publication and platform development to support knowledge sharing and cultural preservation.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS