Orchid Island Series 2 - Traditional Building

 BY SCARLETT CHANG APRIL 30 , 2018

Traditionally, every Tao family on Orchid Island needed to have three kinds of building, the vahay, the markarang, and the tagakal. These are the main building, the place they work, and the pavilion. There are many rules and taboos regarding these buildings.

The vahay, or main house, is the place where they sleep and cook flying fish. The vahay is a kind of underground house. The Tao built this kind of structure as protection from the strong winds on Orchid Island. There was no shower or bathroom in the vahay, because the Tao considered sewage to be very dirty. They used stone and wood to build the Vahay. Since it was underground, the Tao dug a hidden ditch to let the rain and water run into the river. If that water would go through another house, the family would cook a big pig to apologize. The Vahay is a tilted building. The Tao designed it that way for sleeping and eating. The Tao believed that if the head is higher than the body, people will become healthier. In their tradition, while sleeping, the living person’s head has to face the sea. You only face the mountain when you are dead.

The markarang was the working building. It was the place where Tao people worked or did some handicrafts. It was also the place they normally hosted guests. They would only invite very close friends or honored guests into the vahay. Unmarried sons would also live in the markarang. When the season for catching flying fish arrived, married men would also sleep in the markarang, because according to tradition, they could not sleep with their wives during this season. Sometimes in the summer, the whole family would sleep here, too, because the Vahay was too hot to sleep in during the summer. (They designed it with a small door to keep it warm and for defense against enemies.)

The tagakal was the pavilion. It was the place where the Tao people rested and passed along their oral traditions. To keep it out of reach of pigs and other animals, the tagakal was always built 60-90 cm off the ground. It is important not to wear shoes on the tagaka. Usually, the elders would sleep on the tagaka during the day time. Also the children liked to sleep and watch the sea on the Tagaka.

Those traditional buildings are really special and full of ancient people’s knowledge. Here are some things to remember when you are on Orchid Island.

1. Remember to ask local people before you take photos. 
2. Remember to take off your shoes before you go into a building. 
3. Remember to ask if you can enter the tagaka. (Not every tagaka on Orchid Island is open to the public.)

Contact Amazing Taitung Editors about this story at TheAmazingTaitung@gmail.com

Orchid Island Series 1 - Transportation & Accommodation

BY SCARLETT CHANG APRIL 26 , 2018

This is the first article in the series on Orchid Island which we will be running over the next few weeks. Orchid Island is located in the southeast of Taitung city. It is a popular destination for tourists.

TRANSPORTATION TO ORCHID ISLAND

There are two ways to get to Orchid Island. The first is to take a domestic flight, and the second is to take a ship. The ship costs NT $2300 (round trip), and the flight is NT $2960 (round trip). There are three ships every day from Fukang harbor in Taitung to Orchid Island, and there are also six to eight flights from Taitung airport to Orchid Island.

”The boat trip to the Orchid Island is fantastic,” said Bella, a tourist visiting Orchid Island. “You can go upstairs to the deck to feel the fresh sea breeze and see some beautiful flying fish! it is very comfortable.”

TRANSPORTATION ON ORCHID ISLAND

Once visitors have arrived on Orchid Island, they may wish to travel around the island. There are bus tours. Otherwise, visitors who want to explore on their own can rent cars, scooters or bicycles. The round-island highway is about 36 kilometres long, so riding bicycles around the island only take about 1.5 hours.

“Cycling on the island is comfortable,” said Beck, another visitor. “It makes me feel relaxed! I think I will come here again soon.”

ACCOMMODATION ON ORCHID ISLAND

There are six tribes on the island. Every tribe has lots of creative B&Bs. Miss Tien stayed at one called “Tatala’s Home”, which is located in Hong tou village.

“This B&B is really good,” said Miss Tien. “The room, the view of the ocean, and even the breakfast are all pretty awesome! I had a sweet dream here.”

It has six rooms, and the owners decorate their rooms in different themes, such as “Blue ocean”, “Purple romantic”, or “Green grassland”. The price is about NT $3000 per night for four people, which includes breakfast.

           

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Exhibition on modern Taiwanese songs

BY SCARLETT CHANG APRIL 23 , 2018

There is a special exhibition on modern Taiwanese aboriginal songs at the national museum of prehistory in Taitung City.

“We are holding this exhibition mainly because we want to let everyone in Taiwan understand this culture, no matter whether they are aboriginal people or Han people,” said the museum’s public affairs department. “Even the foreigners in Taiwan are all very welcome”

The exhibition is called “The solace of music,’’ and it tells the history of aboriginal songs from the 1990s to the present.

Aboriginal songs have gained recognition since the 1990s, partly because one song was sampled by the group Enigma and used in a television ad promoting the Atlanta Olympics. After that, people all around the world started to follow the aboriginal music with interest. Since then, many creative singers have started to write songs in their mother tongues. They use the music to share their own life experiences and the love of their tribe.

The organizers will invite people from different backgrounds who are genuinely concerned about the assimilation of minority ethnic groups to give speeches, and they will also play some aboriginal music during the exhibition. One of the goals of this exhibition is to let aboriginal people in Taiwan better understand their own culture.

This exhibition runs from February 9, 2018, through March 8, 2019.




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Diing Dong passenger-A new way to travel

BY JACK LIN APRIL 15 , 2018

The Diing Dong bus company offers daily passenger service up the east coast from Taitung.

“The Diing Dong bus is very convenient,” said Lin, a student at Junyi High School in Taitung who takes the bus home to Duli every week. “The drivers’ attitudes are friendly and enthusiastic.”

The Diing Dong bus company is the largest in Taitung City. It has two lines, the Mountain Line and the Sea Line. The Sea Line runs every hour from Taitung bus station to Junpu in the north, which is in Hualien Fengbin Township. There is only one bus that runs all the way to Hualien train station every day.

The bus takes the number 11 highway up the east coast which offers amazing views of the ocean and coastal mountains. It stops in Cheng Gong, but passengers can request stops at other locations, including tourist hotspots like the Sugar Factory in Dulan, and the Water Running Up attraction in Donghe.

Passengers are cautioned to select their travel time carefully.

“During busy times, you might not get a seat,” said Feng Ting, a regular Diing Dong bus passenger.

Contact Amazing Taitung Editors about this story at TheAmazingTaitung@gmail.com

Archery Carnival in Taitung

BY BRUCE YOUNG APRIL 2 , 2018

The national traditional aboriginal archery competition was held in Taitung County on March 24. In order to learn more about the event, we interviewed Ms.溫 who competed this year.

the photo with permission from Ms.溫

Q: Which tribe do you belong to?
A: Puyuma.

Q: How did you and your tribe members make the bow and arrow?
A: We use traditional material like bamboo and wood to make our bows and arrows. We don’t make them by ourselves nowadays. We pay professional artisans to make it because they have a certain format.

Q: What is the importance of archery in your culture?
A: In the past, we used these traditional weapons to hunt for our food. Nowadays we hold this event to preserve the tradition and to tell our children about our culture.

Q: How often does your tribe hold the competition?
A: For the biggest one, it’s about once a year. But we’ve got friendly competitions once or twice a month for teams in my tribe to practice.

Q: How often do you practice?
A: For me, archery is a relaxing sport. I don’t really take serious practice time. I just practice when I have time.

Q: How do you practice?
A: We will practice archery at a small shooting range in the elementary school. We have a leader and coach to teach us the right position.

Q: Why and when did you start to practice archery?
A: I have practiced it for almost three years. I do it because it’s kind of a relaxing activity, and also I can get exercise through archery.

Q: Does archery have an age limit to play?
A: Not really. We have teams for children, adults, and elders.

Q: What does archery mean to you?
A: It’s a sport and also has a cultural meaning. I like the positive feeling when I play with my teammates. I play it with my husband. I think archery can improve our relationship. And it also improves coordination as well.

Q: Will you teach your children how to do archery?
A: I have two daughters. They tried archery before, but they didn’t really show any interest. So I decided to teach them when the time comes.

Q: Puyuma is a maternal society. Are there any taboos for women?
A: In the formal festival, women cannot touch the weapons or go hunting in the mountains. But we can play archery when it’s not an official one.

Q: What does “maternal society” means?
A: It means women are the boss of a family. When a marriage comes, the man has to enter the woman’s family.

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