New Director of Indigenous Media Exchange




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 programs.

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 studies Kulintang music with local Kulintang performing arts company that helps promote the indigenous music of the different tribes of southern Philippines.

Gerald A. Santos will advocate our organization's objectives by organizing cultural events and create new opportunities for discussions and awareness of the issues important to many different indigenous communities. With media being one of the most effective methods of reaching communities, he has accepted the role of Director of Indigenous Media Exchange to develop new media-related programs in California and the USA for our organization.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2023 Annual Report

Image
  We had the pleasure of introducing the Taloma Youth Group with the Yakan Tribe on Palawan The Year of 2023 was one of our busiest ever, with multiple exchange activities, as well as expanded development of relationships for the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP). We also made key strategic decisions for the development of the IBYAP program, including the opening of our Hawai'i office in Maui and adding our Regional Director of Hawai'i, Leiven Hwang. Having three pillars for the program (Washington State/Hawai'i/Taiwan) creates a framework for exchange and cooperation between Austronesian communities, and likewise, we have the ability to introduce the beautiful cultures and timeless wisdom of the Austronesian peoples to American people. This year, we dove into various activities and upgraded our program as well. We made substantial progress with the four pillars of our organization:  Recruiting, Program Development, Partnerships and Fundraising . I. STAFF...
Read more

Niwa Maibut an ambassador for global language, Indigenous identity in Taiwan

Image
By Mackenzie Miller A twenty-minute car ride north from the city of Taitung, Taiwan, is the Indigenous village of Taoyuan, often referred to in the Bunun language by Indigenous residents as Pasikau. Pass under the village gate and a newly opened 7-Eleven, the Pasikau Presbyterian Church, a sprinkling of breakfast joints, and the occasional dog and neighbor precede the route to Niwa Maibut’s childhood home, situated on the corner of the Pasikau village now home to nearly 1,300 residents. Niwa Maibut drives car from Taitung to Pasikau village Maibut, having returned to Taitung to live permanently five years ago, is now conveniently able to reconnect with a physical place she ventured off from at a young age while also maintaining her relationship with a culture and people she never left behind. Today, on March 18, Maibut gathers her bags from the car upon arriving home in Pasikau and heads inside after a vocal greeting to assist her mother in dressing for today’s Bunun Ear Shooting Festi...
Read more

Distant Journeys of Cultural Exchange on display in Oakland California

Image
Gerald Arcilla Santos, Regional Director for the ATAYAL Organization in the California Bay Area, organized an exhibit of the "Distant Journeys Of Cultural Exchange" at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center . The monthlong event at the OACC began on November 4, 2022. The traveling exhibit is curated by ATAYAL Regional Director Anthonie Tumpag, and it has been on display several times in the Chicago area. Regional Director Gerald Arcilla Santos The exhibit includes photos of the participation of the Taiwanese Indigenous delegation during the 2019 Tribal Canoe Journeys. It also includes Indigenous Taiwanese artifacts personally collected by Anthonie Tumpag. OACC has invited Tony Coolidge and Gerald Arcilla Santos to take part in a closing ceremony live-streamed on Instagram on Saturday, December 17th, where they will share views of the exhibit, describe the background and the organization. The Oakland Asian Cultural Center builds vibrant communities through Asian and Pacific Islande...
Read more