Each edition spotlights the heritage of one of the participating groups: the Amis, Bunun, Kavalan, Sakizaya, Sediq and Truku. For the 2018 festival, held July 20-22, the Amis and their folk song “Naluwan” took center stage. The tune conveys blessings and the warm hospitality of the nation’s largest tribe, which has a population of 209,000, according to the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples.
Haki Masiw, director of the Indigenous Peoples Department of Hualien County Government, said the festival plays a vital role in promoting cultural preservation. With globalization eroding customs and young people increasingly leaving tribal villages to study and work in cities, the event provides an opportunity to pass down ancient rites and promote youth engagement in time-honored cultural practices, he added.
Thousands of festivalgoers attend the 2018 Joint Indigenous Harvest Festival in Hualien. (Courtesy of HCG)
Taiwan is home to 16 officially recognized indigenous peoples, with CIP statistics showing they account for 2.3 percent of the nation’s 23.5 million people. Most of these groups mark the harvest festival, typically between July and September, by donning traditional tribal wear, performing songs and dance, and carrying out religious rituals to give thanks for the past year and pray for a prosperous future.
The Joint Indigenous Harvest Festival is the foremost of these celebrations. Attended by some 60,000 participants and spectators, the 2018 edition featured performances by 26 indigenous troupes and 110 booths offering arts and crafts like clothing, jewelry and sculptures, as well as traditional foods such as bamboo rice, glutinous rice desserts and spit-roasted suckling pig.
At the end of each day’s festivities, a group of Amis dancers called Masawupu, which means “coming together” in their native tongue, led thousands of festivalgoers in a joyful rendition of “Naluwan.”
A booth sells spit-roasted suckling pig at the Joint Indigenous Harvest Festival July 21 in Hualien. (Courtesy of HCG)
Haki said that the festival addresses one of the greatest challenges of cultural preservation work: finding appealing and sustainable ways of passing down customs and values. The six tribes forged Hualien’s identity and it is vital their traditions are retained for future generations, he added.
According to the director, a total of 120 smaller-scale harvest celebration events will be held in indigenous villages throughout the county until the end of September. These activities aim to build upon the success of the high-profile festival by fostering community-level engagement in cultural preservation. (E) (By Wendy Kuo)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
A craftsperson creates a braided keychain in her booth at the Joint Indigenous Harvest Festival July 20 in Hualien. (Courtesy of HCG)
(This article is adapted from Shaped by Tradition and Time in the May/June 2017 issue of Taiwan Review. The Taiwan Review archives dating to 1951 are available online.)