ATAYAL Organization Founder Delivers Lecture to International Students at National Chengchi University about Taiwan’s Austronesian Connections

On Thursday, October 6, ATAYAL Executive Director Tony Coolidge gave a lecture at National Chengchi University (NCCU) on indigenous Taiwanese people, their culture and their connection to other indigenous Austronesian peoples. Students from ICI (International College of Innovation) found the lecture very interesting and informative.

 

               The lecture took place in NCCU's Downhill Campus.

 

Prof. Tzu-chi Ou, stated that although she worked on Han Chinese people, she has less knowledge on indigenous peoples of Taiwan. This is the reason why she found the lesson very informative. According to her, the most interesting part of the lecture was an answer given by Mr. Coolidge during the Q&A section. He said that when the Indigenous people from different countries and different parts of the world get together, the atmosphere is always very friendly. Prof. Ou also mentioned that our organization, ATAYAL and Indigenous Bridges are very helpful for the Indigenous people who have identity issues or who do not feel a connection to their Indigenous identities.

Bimaputra, a student from Indonesia, also found the lecture very informative and he was surprised to know that all the Austronesian peoples, even the ones who live far away from each other, have common ancestors and how their languages are adapted to the places they live in. He also mentioned that strong family ties and communities are the most important things that will be helpful to indigenous peoples.

 

In Chae-Eun, a student from South Korea, also though that the lecture was very sophisticated and
accessible. She said that she gained some answers that she had always wondered about. She is also impressed by New Zealand’s policies regarding Indigenous peoples, one of the examples Mr. Coolidge gave during the lecture. She says that New Zealand’s decision of regarding and respecting the Indigenous peoples as a factor in developing a free trade agreement, was a very powerful way to embrace the strength of Indigenous peoples but also a great benefit to the society and the nation.

According to her, to support the Indigenous peoples, “we should first raise our awareness of ‘who they think they are.’” Indigenous people are often colored by our expectations and bias, and sometimes our assistance only ends up with our satisfaction of doing good things. Therefore, I want to first argue that learning how to listen and respect to their voices should not be a secondary procedure when cooperating with Indigenous peoples.”

 

We thank Professor Ou for giving Mr. Coolidge the opportunity of giving this lecture to brilliant students from ICI and we are looking forward to cooperate more in the future!

Tony Coolidge, representing the ATAYAL Organization, has provided customized lectures to schools and governmental organizations in Taiwan since 2010. Cultural lectures are a part of the NGO's programs, providing education and understanding of Taiwan's Indigenous peoples, especially from a worldview perspective.