A Journey for Our New Tatala

Here is a photo of the traditional decorations on the tatala

 Dan Long, a long-time teacher and administrator in Taipei American School, has loaned his tatala to the ATAYAL organization. We thank Mr. Long for this long-term loan. A tatala is a canoe from the Lanyü (Orchid Island) of Taiwan that is used by the native Tao peoples. Right now, the canoe is located in Charleston, South Carolina. Our goal is to move the tatala to the Seattle area in order to participate in the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys.

    Tribal Canoe Journeys is an annual event organized by the Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Every year, people from various First Nations travel across the Pacific Northwest Coast with decorated traditional canoes. We are planning to represent the Indigenous peoples of Taiwan in this event. In order to participate in the Tribal Canoe Journeys for 2023 we need to move the tatala to Seattle by July 2023. We also look forward to making stops along the way to share Taiwan’s indigenous culture with the American people. During its journey across America, the tatala will stop at museums, fairs and Taiwanese communities. The final destination is The Burke Museum in Seattle. The tatala will stay there until the Tribal Canoe Journeys of 2023.  

We need your support! To move a canoe from the East coast of the United States to the West coast requires money. Your donations will be very much appreciated. If you want to help us achieving this task by donating to this project, you can do it directly from the Indigenous Bridges website:

Donate to the Indigenous Bridges Programs

If you wish to learn more about the Tatala, you can check the video we prepared for the Indigenous Bridges YouTube channel: