A special exhibition aimed at highlighting the diversity of Aboriginal cultures yesterday opened at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The exhibition, titled “Ita/kita” (一起得力量，我們!), is curated by Masao Aki and organized by the Ministry of Culture, it said.
Ita and kita mean “us” among many Aboriginal groups in Taiwan, as well as Austronesian-speaking nations, Aki said.
Photo: Chuang Shih-hsien, Taipei Times
Aruwai Kaumakan, Alik Studio, Siki Sufin, Eval Malinjinnan, Tafong Kati and Ruby Swana are among the participating artists, the ministry said.
One of the pieces featured in the exhibition is The Song of Life (生命之歌) by Paiwan artist Aruwai Kaumakan.
The work was inspired by the artist’s experience with Typhoon Morakot, which struck her village in August 2009, it said, adding that the piece symbolizes the togetherness of the village, as well as the artist’s attempt to overcome her sorrow in losing her home and land.
The Song of Life is being displayed in the exhibition’s “Power of Rebirth” section, the ministry said.
Everyone should cherish and recognize Aboriginal culture as an indispensable part of what defines Taiwan, Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) said at the exhibition’s opening reception on Saturday.
Aborigines’ achievements in sports, music and the arts, as well as their contributions to the nation’s multiculturalism, deserve people’s deepest respect, he said.
Hopefully, through the exhibition, more people would pay attention to Aborigines’ interpretations of history and art, he added.
“Only by listening to and respecting the subjective interpretation of Aborigines can we truly understand,” Lee said.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day commemorates Aborigines’ movement to rectify their name, Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod said at the reception.
A decade after the movement began, the name “Aborigines” was officially included in the Constitution on Aug. 1, 1994, he said.
On Aug. 1, 2016, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) apologized to Aborigines on behalf of the government, and announced that it would promote Aborigines’ efforts toward historical and transitional justice, he said.
“Ita/kita” is at the memorial’s Bo-ai Gallery until Wednesday next week, the ministry said.
It would be open for four 90-minute sessions each day beginning at 9am, 11am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm, with up to 100 visitors allowed each session, it said.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
RSS