Battling huge waves, 20 Austronesian men in orange life jackets set off on a hand-carved longboat into the western Pacific Ocean, destined for the home of their ancestral kin for the first time in 300 years.
The indigenous Tao people, native to the tiny Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) 90km off Taiwan’s southeast coast, have close cultural, linguistic and historic ties with the Philippines’ Batanes islands and its Ivatan communities.
Tao crew members were seen tying oars onto the narrow watercraft dubbed Ovayan (Golden Friendship) and doing a test row on Sunday ahead of its 100-nautical-mile (185km) voyage to the neighboring Philippine archipelago.
Photo: AFP
Setting sail yesterday, participants said the odyssey across the Bashi Channel would trace an ancestral sea route to reinforce longstanding traditional ties between the two communities.
“I’ve always wanted to visit the place where my ancestors once went and see what it’s like there,” oarsman Wu Hsi-lung said.
“I feel that I carry the blood of this place and want to do something for my community,” the 26-year-old stand-up paddleboarding coach said.
The tatala — an intricately carved and hand-painted seafaring boat made from wood — was traditionally built to catch flying fish to feed families and communities on the 45km² Orchid Island.
It was originally “a tool for survival”, said Hsiao Chun-hsiang, a 50-year-old sound engineer and trip participant.
At a massive 12m long, the newly crafted Ovayan is an enlarged version of the tatala that can carry up to 20 people — making it “the biggest we’ve ever built,” Hsiao said.
Times have changed, and beyond cultural significance, the tatala has “evolved to meet the needs of tourism as well”, he said — becoming a cultural artifact used to attract visitors.
However, it still carries deep spiritual significance for the Tao, he said, adding that the red-and-white-painted vessel was “like a member of the family.”
Families and onlookers yesterday gathered to see off the seafarers, who expect to row through the night and arrive at their destination this afternoon.
The voyage is the “first such journey in 300 years,” Hsiao said, adding that many descendants of early Tao seafarers “wanted to take part in this meaningful event.”
Syaman Maraos, the trip’s organizer and chairman of the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation, said the boat would be put on display upon arriving at its destination.
The 54-year-old, who was also joining the trip, said he hoped the endeavor would “help foster more exchanges with other peoples and countries across the Pacific, allowing us to continue and strengthen this cultural journey.”
He said he hoped Ivatan islanders living on Batanes would be able to row the Ovayan back to Orchid Island next year.
“It would be a major boost for maritime culture,” he said.
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