Taiwan

Globalization has a great impact on the farming villages in Taiwan. With it come the agricultural transition, the old farmers’ thought and the homecoming of young people.

After graduated from senior high school, Wen-bing began to work in Taichung. However, his job in a nightclub got him into trouble with the law. He asked the judge for indemnity and promised to return home to help his parents grow tomatoes. When he stays in the country, his heart still lingers in the big city. He can’t accustomed himself to the lifestyle in the village, and find it difficult to agree with his parents in terms of farming and marketing. What else is he supposed do when he can neither forget his past nor catch hold of his future?

10/8  16:40

“In the Palakuwan not only become good man by yourself. It is the collective all be great and strong!”

Katratripulr community in Taitung County which has so far maintained the collective education of the traditional organizations of the age class of men.

It is based in the “Takuvang” house and the “Palakuwan” house, as well as people who education and training for young men in the community based on age. The older elders have observe their work performance: labor, service, and obedience. If they perform well, hold a ceremony to advance the vows every three year. Learn to be a mature, well-trained man, to be the backbone of the community.

This is the heritage of the core values of Katratripulr culture, but also the protection of community forces. The boys at the age of 8 into the “Takuvang” house into the “Takuvakuvang” class, at the age of 14 for the “Palakuwan” youngest “valisen” class. This class must work, do toil, obey the brother, and other cultivation, by the youth clubhouse in the higher class of brothers to complete a variety of tasks .

But the boys still love to “Palakuwan” . They want to be able to glory for the “valisen” class, officially into the “Palakuwan” proud. What kind of collective strength and community thinking that the group of rebellious, mischievous middle-stage boys, willing to “Palakuwan” will pay labor, obey listening to the training, the “Palakuwan” has a strong sense of belonging? How does the cultivation and educational significance of “Takuvang” and “Palakuwan” show his value in modern society?

10/7  17:40

“Mainay u? (Do you want to be a man?)”

“Mainay ku! (Yes! I want to be a man!)”

“Mainay” means “man” in the language of Pinuyumayan. The two paragraphs above were the vows to the forefathers for the boys who entered the “Palakuwan” (man’s assembly place) to have proper training which to become a real man. He will obey the order of the “Ayawan” (leader of youth), respect the elders, and take care of his partner. All of these were the routes to become a man of “Palakuwan”.

Katratripulr (Chihpen, Taitung), this place has its own teaches for what a man should be like, and it is entrenched. Includes obeying orders, serving in labor, to endure hunger, training to survive in the mountain field…ETC, they need to know the hunting field well and live with the field in a good balance. Men of katratripulr has a rank when he gets into “Palakuwan”, and got promotion once in three years he served in “Palakuwan”. From the first rank called “Valisen”, and goes through “Venasangsar”, Kavangsaran”, and the final rank: “Vangsaran”, he will be treat as a real man of Katratripulr. Once you learned how to respect your own brothers and elders, you will know the way of ancestors, to live with the nature respectfully, and to gratitude the ancestor’s spirit. You become a part of nature, and live inside it with peace, that’s the real intent behind all these training, and it is the way of how Katratripulr to taught a man to be mature and can live independent.

10/4  18:30

In 1932, Muakai from the Zingrur royal family of the Kaviyangan village was accessioned into the Taihoku imperial University (former name of the National Taiwan University, abbr. NTU) and stood silently in the corner of the Museum of Anthropology. Considering to applying for the National Treasure, Professor Chia-yu Hu of NTU went back to village since 2014 and discussed related issues with Muakai’s long lost family and village members. As a result, a spectacular traditional Paiwan wedding was held at NTU for Muakai in September of 2015. Why did it take place? What does it mean to the indigenous community, the university ,and the society…

10/6  10:00

After being abandoned for nearly seven decades, the old tribal village is difficult to reach with almost no roads leading to it. The only guide on our journey in search of our roots is Wilang, who drags his octogenarian body up the mountain. As we follow Wilang’s footsteps, we travel a tunnel back in time…

‘The entire film consists of material I recorded for my tribe during a ten-year period and archival footage from Taiwan Film Institute. While searching for my material, I felt a sense of reconnection and nostalgia. Ordinary-looking images that I took back then are now all the more valuable because of the passage of time…Fortunately, I still keep them.’

10/6  14:30