The Atayal people, one of Taiwan's 11 aboriginal tribes, are struggling to balance cultural traditions with the demands of a modern economy in the mountain village of Wulai--and getting help from the government along the way.
As Atayal fishermen traveled up a mountain river to a place about 30 kilometers south of Taiwan's present-day capital, Taipei, they came upon a dense cloud of steam hanging in the air. " Wu lai ga lu," they exclaimed, "a hot spring." The name stuck, and the Atayal became the first to settle in Wulai.
Nestled in rugged mountain terrain, the township of Wulai is famous for its winding roads, waterfalls, varieties of plant and animal life, and, of course, the hot springs. Daytrips to the pristine wilds of Wulai are popular among the city-dwellers of Taipei.
More controversial attractions are the Atayal themselves and the vestiges of their culture. Totem poles and other sacred ornaments of the Atayal have become draws for sightseers, and hotels and restaurants in the area are decorated in a faux aboriginal style intended to give visitors a whiff of Atayal atmosphere. Wulai's Old Street bursts with a variety of souvenir shops selling aboriginal handicrafts and small restaurants serving aboriginal specialties, such as sticky rice served in bamboo tubes, Atayal-style, stone-grilled meat flavored with rice wine, betel nut flower soup, and machi, a favorite aboriginal desert made from millet flour and filled with red-bean, peanut, or sesame pastes. And the nearby Wulai Aboriginal Village offers aboriginal dance performances, displays of cultural artifacts, and handicrafts sales.
But the success of Wulai as a tourist attraction has only made it more difficult to preserve the cultural traditions of the Atayal people. "Wulai has made considerable progress in the course of modernization," observes the 43-year-old Chien Mu-sheng, chairman of the Aboriginal Development Association of Wulai Township (ADAWT). "But the cultural legacies of the Atayal have suffered tremendously."
Today, the Atayal are aided by the central government in trying to find a balance between developing local industries, such as tourism, and preserving aboriginal heritage. In a comprehensive national development plan, "Challenge 2008," the Executive Yuan outlined proposals designed to make Taiwan a more competitive place and retain some of its unique cultural heritage. Of the ten major directives, the "new hometown and new tribes movement" refers directly to proposals for preserving aboriginal settlements in Taiwan and trying to ensure that they are not left out of the economic growth of the country. The problems are real enough for the Atayal, for even money earned from the promotion of their own culture often flows into the pockets of outside developers.
The struggles of local Atayal business people are exemplified by the experience of Chivas Rabu, proprietor of the Sa Li Ta homestay ("Our Home" in the Atayal language). The small hostel, opened in 1995, uses traditional architecture, serves Atayal dishes, and generally offers something more authentic than the commercial hotels. "I feel great in being able to help promote our own culture and make friends with people from different countries," she says.
Yet Rabu is competing against well-funded hotel and resort chains that have moved into the area over the years. "The mushrooming of luxurious hot springs hotels in the downtown area has made us appear inferior," she says. "We are now faced with either transformation into a higher-class facility or eventual closure. But I have already put all my retirement funds into my business and just don't have the money for expansion."
Such dilemmas are prevalent among the island's various aboriginal villages, where residents on the one hand struggle to make a living and on the other fight to preserve their heritage. In some ways, the aborigines have been fighting this battle for centuries. The aborigines, who are thought to have arrived in Taiwan over 6,000 years ago, are the earliest inhabitants of the island. Yet, since the beginning of Chinese immigration to Taiwan, the number of aborigines has dwindled to less than 2 percent of the population.
Even in Wulai, "an Atayal village," the population of aborigines is only about 2,000 out of 7,000 residents, and most of the town officials are not aborigines. Furthermore, visitors go to Wulai mostly to bathe in the hot springs, shop, or dine out, and these businesses are largely operated by non-aborigines. In fact, most of the aborigines do not benefit much from the township's growing popularity as a tourist site and still lead quite a hard life.
The government's "new hometown and new tribes movement" is intended to reverse this phenomenon. With a planned budget of NT$7.3 billion (US$212 million) for 2003 alone, the project is being put into practice among the 55 aboriginal townships in Taiwan's 12 counties.
"The project aims to establish self-sufficient economies for the indigenous tribes by helping to develop industries in tribal communities," explains Wang Chiu-I, director of the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples' Education and Culture Department. "Hopefully, through the overall improvement of their economic, living, educational, and employment environment, the aborigines can lead a stable life while conserving and promoting their tribal culture."
According to Wang, the government intends to help the aborigines develop industries or businesses that retain local or traditional characteristics, such as herb cultivation farms, traditional handicrafts studios, and homestays. Tourism will also play a part, but plans for tourist activities can also be integrated into the local culture.
Every year following the grain harvest in July and August, for example, it is customary for the Atayal to hold rites to thank the spirits of their ancestors. This harvest festival is a possible source of interest for those who want to see living Atayal culture. Also, during the cherry blossom season, from February to March, the Taipei County Government teams up with the local township office and community organizations to hold a month-long festival that includes aboriginal music, folk dancing, traditional delicacies, demonstrations of weaving skills, and photo exhibitions and documentaries with local themes.
To encourage the Atayal to discuss and document their history, the government will offer incentives to set up study groups, community colleges, cultural growth classes, and a museum for local artifacts. The plan also hopes to prompt the creation of aboriginal television channels and encourage people to participate in the programming. The primary goal of these endeavors is the reinvigoration of aboriginal culture, history, and language, Wang says.
In order to establish links with the outside world, Wang's council has helped open 15 library/information centers among the island's aboriginal villages where local residents can learn how to use computers, obtain information from the Internet, and take advantage of long-distance learning.
Education is a central element of the program. If the Atayal are to reap the benefits of Taiwan's modern economy, they will need job training and some support in improving the local infrastructure. "The idea of the new tribes movement is to empower aborigines to come up with their own blueprints and strategies for development," Wang says. "Only with the full and active participation of the indigenous peoples themselves can such a campaign bring long-term prosperity to aboriginal villages."
In Wulai alone there are eight associations already at work on community development projects, and they have welcomed the support of the government proposals. Kuo Chin-ming, chairman of the Chungchih Community Development Association, points out that since last year, his association has been participating in the new tribes movement in cooperation with the Council of Indigenous Peoples, the Council for Cultural Affairs, and the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA). With government subsidies, his association has been able to launch several projects, including job training and the establishment of information centers and a specialized website.
In the meantime, the CLA has provided community residents with temporary work opportunities, including cleaning up the local environment, processing information, planning tourism, and gathering information on Atayal culture.
According to Kuo, the most difficult task at the outset was building consensus among community members and enlisting support and participation. Hence, his association invited professors to give lectures to local residents to help them understand the goals of community regeneration programs and solicit their advice. Kuo's group also organizes fact-finding trips to other aboriginal villages to learn from their experiences.
Kuo intends to establish an Atayal cultural and ecological park next year that is completely owned and operated by local tribe members. According to his plan, the park will feature traditional aboriginal homes made with bamboo, together with the implements used in daily life, hunting, and facial tattooing, as well as other exhibits including traditional dress, pottery, and carvings. The Atayal will also demonstrate handicrafts making, prepare local delicacies, and sing tribal songs. Souvenirs such as aboriginal-music CDs, bracelets, earrings, embroidered bags, clothing, dolls, and wall hangings will be on sale as well.
Despite the commercial aspects, the park is not just intended for tourists, according to Kuo. "We hope to provide visitors an idea of what the primitive aboriginal culture and traditions once looked like," he says. "At the same time, we want our descendants to understand how our ancestors lived so that younger generations can understand their culture better and identify with their heritage."
Chen Sheng-jung, dean of Fushan Elementary School in Wulai, believes that the community projects are a good example of the need for big things to start small. "In the past, we'd neglected the development of individual hometowns and tribes while focusing on much grander schemes," he says. "Only with the development of its various constituencies can a society be strengthened as a whole."
Chen thinks that, in order to make this campaign more effective, emphasis should be placed on the conservation and promotion of cultural rituals as well as tribal languages at a local level. And these tasks can be accomplished at local schools and community education centers.
Meanwhile, Chien Mu-sheng, chairman of the ADAWT points out that Wulai has much more to offer than just the hot springs and traditional handicrafts and delicacies. Many visitors, he says, go no farther than the downtown area. But he believes that the true beauty of Wulai can be found about four kilometers further upstream at a place called Doll Valley, where one can see genuine aboriginal life not intended as an exhibition for tourists. A walk through the area takes visitors through a stunning gorge with a river rushing below and offers the lush vistas of primitive forests. Local people can be found hunting for traditional herbs used in Atayal dishes and as medicinal remedies. In short, it is the treasure of the Atayal culture wrapped in the beautiful surroundings of Wulai--a heritage surely worth struggling to preserve. "We, the Atayal, were born with guts and optimism," Chien says. "Despite the stumbling blocks along the way, we'll strive to keep the spirit of the Atayal alive in Wulai."