Perspectives of Indigenous Bridges

Our organization is pleased to welcome Hanford McCloud as our newest Board Member . He is a respected member of the Nisqually Tribe of Washington State . His mother is from the Nisqually Tribe and his father is from the Puyallup Tribe. Mr. McCloud has long been an advocate of Nisqually Culture and a leader in his community. For years, he has provided innovative leadership for the Nisqually Tribe, creating cultural exchange opportunities for the youth of his community. Mr. McCloud is also involved in the creation of the New Nisqually Culture Center. He is recognized for his contributions to his community and has been elected several times to the Tribal Council. In 2017, at the behest of Gary Smoke ( Deputy Director ), he invited the first delegation from the Tao Tribe to join his canoe family during the Tribal Canoe Journeys. This helped to kicked off the Tribal Journeys program, and each year, he is furthering his vision of providing the Nisqually youth with international cultur...

Our participation in the 2019 Tribal Canoe Journeys in Washington State USA was focused on building on top of the results achieved in our exchanges from the previous two years, hoping to take the inter-tribal relationships to the next level, and to ensure sustainable exchanges and activities for the future. Johan (far left) with Hanford (center) and the Hawaiian delegation. Before this Summer, we brought a delegation from the Tao Tribe of Orchid Island to develop a relationship with the Nisqually Tribe near Olympia, Washington. Our delegation was the guests of our gracious host, Hanford McCloud, tribal council member and Canoe family captain. This year, Hanford McCloud invited an indigenous delegation from Hawaii, and we had the privilege of experiencing the journey with them. This year, we had more quality time with Hanford. During an interview, he shared why he chose to reach out to tribes from around the world to join his Canoe Family. He also share...

We express our gratitude to Professor Scott Simon for being an Advisory Board Member of ATAYAL/Indigenous Bridges. He provides the ATAYAL organization an excellent academic perspective on indigenous people of Taiwan. Mr. Simon is a Professor in the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the University of Ottawa, Canada, and Co-Chair of the Research Chair in Taiwan Studies. He has lived in Taiwan for 10 years, mostly for research purposes, and is author of three books on Taiwan. Since 2004, he has been doing research with Seediq and Truku people. He is now working on a new book about indigenous lifeworlds in Taiwan.

We are proud to welcome Sylvia Dean to the ATAYAL Team, where she will be a PR Coordinator and Reporter for Indigenous Bridges. As a visiting journalist, she will work not only to share the stories of indigenous people unheard by many, but also to learn about these cultures so critical to Taiwan’s history, and to extend their reach to other parts of the world - including her own home, the USA.  Sylvia Dean is living in Hualien City, Taiwan, on a year-long Fulbright grant. She grew up in the midwestern to wn of Iowa City, Iowa. While studying to earn her bachelor’s degree in Linguistics/TESL from the University of Iowa, she worked as a journalist in multiple settings, including the Iowa State University Department of Linguistics, as well as the University of Iowa’s International Programs and Department of Rhetoric. Sylvia first learned of Taiwanese indigenous groups during a Mandarin language immersion program in Taoyuan, Taiwan. A trip to Hualien delivered an opportuni...

The ATAYAL organization is pleased to welcome Gerald Arcilla Santos to our team as the new Director of Indigenous Media Exchange . This accomplished indigenous cultural advocate is a resident of the Bay Area of California, and he has promoted indigenous peoples and cultures of the Philippines for many years. He is knowledgable in Austronesian history and cultures of the world. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Aeta Tribe Foundation , which empowers Aeta communities have access to clean water and other wellness p rograms. Mr. Santos has been very active in different aspects of Austronesian culture, including volunteering as a Talking Dictionary Researcher for the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages to help build their Bikolano Dictionary System. He studies the indigenous Indonesian folk dances and gamelan music with different Indonesian and Balinese Dance companies. Gerald practices the Arnis Martial Arts with the Senkotiros Organization, and studie...