Perspectives of Indigenous Bridges

  Rt. Hon. Bikenibeu Paeniu The ATAYAL Organization is proud to announce our newest International Advisory Board Member ,  Rt. Hon. Bikenibeu Paeniu.  Providing over 30 years of public service to his island nation of Tuvalu, Mr. Paeniu has been a strong advocate for protecting against Climate Change, and is currently advocating for the preservation and exchange of Austronesian traditional culture, especially in the context of sustainable community development that respects Indigenous traditions. He has served three times as Prime Minister of Tuvalu and four years as Minister of Finance. He is currently serving as Ambassador. Mr. Paeniu has over 20 years of professional experience in development planning, policy analysis, project formulation and monitoring, accounting for the imperative dimensions such as the cultural settings, environment, gender, good governance and sustainable development. He was the Lead Consultant in the formulation of the National Sustainable Development

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