Perspectives of Indigenous Bridges

Written by Chloe Hsia Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan On October 9, 2020, the ATAYAL Organization hosted an event at the Tamsui Art Gallery with Mi Sra Ko Sirman (Akai), the builder of the traditional Tatala boat from Orchid Island. Akai is a Dawu (also known as Tao) tribe member, who builds the boat by hand and dreams to paddle around Taiwan in the Tatala, introducing everyone he comes across to the Dawu people and their culture and customs.  During the event, Akai spoke with ATAYAL Executive Director Gary Smoke and detailed the plans for his journey. He noted that the journey may take up to three months, as he plans to break down the distance into shorter rowing segments. Akai also interviewed with Taiwan Indigenous Television and Taipei Times and answered questions about his journey and his canoe building process.  For the past four years, ATAYAL and Indigenous Bridges has accompanied a group from Taiwan to America to join the Native American and First Nation tri...

October 6, 2020 – New Taipei City, Taiwan On Friday, October 9, Mi Sra Ko Sirman (Akai), the builder of the Tatala boat on Orchid Island will host a discussion about his plan to circle Taiwan in the Tatala. The event will be held from 4 to 8 PM in the Tamsui District of New Taipei City. The event will be hosted in partnership with The ATAYAL Organization, a non-profit that aims to build bridges between indigenous tribes of the world. The ATAYAL Organization aims to support Akai in his journey around Taiwan and will invite Native American tribes to participate. The Tatala boat will be on display during the event. Dinner will follow the event. Date: Friday, October 9, 2020 Time: 4 PM to 8 PM Location: 300 Zhongzheng Road, Tamsui District Tamsui Art Gallery, TAG 淡水藝術工坊   The ATAYAL Organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered in Washington State and Florida. It was founded in 2001 with the mission of building bridges between indigenous tribes of t...

The ATAYAL organization is proud to announce the addition of our newest member of our International Advisory Board, Mark Sussman. He is an accomplished American entrepreneur who has lived in Taiwan for the past 6 years, and has supported the ATAYAL organization for years. Before Mr. Sussman moved to Taiwan, he led 83 employees in multiple locations while owning Vogue Fabrics in Chicago, IL USA. Since his arrival in Taiwan, he has built a consulting company focused on the textile and apparel industries, Sussman International Co. He also teaches part-time an Assistant Professor at Oriental Institute of Technology. Mark's direct experience as Chairman of the Board of the Greater Pilsen Economic Development Association can provide insight into the creation of sustainable economic development projects. Micro-Entrepreneurship Training is one of his passions and integral Mark credits it to his success in retaining cultural richness and Mexican businesses of Chicago Pilsen while growing...

The ATAYAL organization is proud to announce the addition of our newest member of our International Advisory Board, Michael Sidebotham. He is an accomplished educator and entrepreneur who has supported the ATAYAL organization for many years. Mr. Sidebotham grew up in the American Southwest, which has a very interesting history,  in terms of people and cultures. At first, it didn’t interest him and he studied engineering and programming. Michael was lucky with employment, but left corporate telecom jobs after several years. He decided that entrepreneurism seemed the best way to have success and help people. He built a wholesale and retail computer business and a fun pop culture retail store. Through these companies, Michael was able to help promote reading, technology in classrooms, and English language instruction in poor areas of town. In the late 1990’s, Michael went back to the University of Arizona to study Cross Cultural Communications. In 2000, he moved to Taiwan and st...