The National Museum of Prehistory based in southeastern Taiwan’s Tatung County held a performance and seminar series June 10-11 in Guam to facilitate bilateral dialogue spanning ecology, maritime culture, music and languages.
Hosted in collaboration with Guam Museum and the University of Guam, the event was part of a Ministry of Culture-organized project aimed at promoting exchanges with Austronesian-speaking peoples around the region. It followed the Guam Micronesia Island Fair staged June 7-8, the MOC said.
According to the ministry, the first day of the series saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding by NMP Director Futuru C.L. Tsai and UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez on revitalizing Austronesian cultures through joint research and exhibitions.
As a major academic institution in the Micronesian subregion, UOG boasts a substantial collection of documents on Austronesian heritage. Its rich archive makes the university an ideal collaborative partner for NMP, Tsai said at the event.
In response, Enriquez said that Taiwan and Guam enjoy the close bond of shared Austronesian culture, history and social context. She proposed that the two sides conduct reciprocal visits and jointly establish an online database, the MOC added.
Additionally, Tsai and other NMP representatives met with H. Larry Raigetal, assistant professor at the UOG’s Micronesian Area Research Center, who gave them deeper insight into local shipbuilding techniques, the ministry concluded. (POC-E)
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