2024 Annual Report

 

Mata News Magazine featured ATAYAL Organization's participation in FestPac Hawai'i

For 2024, the primary goal of the ATAYAL Organization was the development of key relationships for the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP). This included strengthening the importance of our Hawai'i office in Maui by making it a pillar of our bridge, bringing together indigenous groups across the Pacific. Our Regional Director of Hawai'i, Leiven Hwang worked with former Prime Ministers of Tuvalu, Bikenibeau Panieu and Willy Telavi to host an event to welcome a delegation from the island nation of Tuvalu and connect them to our organization partners in Hawai'i and Taiwan. Our goal was to initiate 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.

II. PROGRAM EXPANSION


To facilitate our Indigenous Bridges program, establishing a pillar for our bridges of connections in Hawaii in 2023 was the first step. In 2024, the 13th Festival of the Pacific Arts and Culture was the perfect opportunity to take a leap of faith and connect with the Austronesian world. Also known as FestPAC Hawai'i, the event brought together over 2,500 delegates from 28 Austronesian nations. The largest delegation was from Taiwan, which brought representatives from its 16 Austronesian tribes. With one event ripe with opportunities for connection, we sent our Regional director of Hawai'i, Leiven Hwang, to attend the event in Honolulu, HI.

Some of the achievements and activities with FestPAC Hawai'i include:

  • Accepted the request from Ambassador Bikenibeau Panieu to organize a welcome dinner at FestPAC Hawai'i for a cultural delegation from Tuvalu.
  • Developed a relationship with former Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Willy Telavi, to organize the cultural dinner at Tuvalu Fou Church in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
  • Brought together an impressive VIP list, including Kimokeo Kapahulehua (Uncle Kimokeo), Amis artist Yosifu, and others.
  • Introduced the ATAYAL Organization and the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP) to the Tuvaluan delegation and guests at the dinner event.
  • Provided a donation to Tuvalu Fou Church to pay for the dinner and other event-related items.
  • Visited the art exhibit of Yosifu to show support.
  • Leiven made many valuable connections during his 10 days at FestPAC Hawai'i that expand the scope of the IBYAP program.
  • Brought the founder of Green2Gold organization to connect Tuvaluans with sustainable energy and development resources.
  • Shot footage and produced an episode of MATA News Magazine from the activities of FestPAC Hawai'i.



III. PARTNERSHIPS


In 2024, the ATAYAL organization was very active seeking out and developing new partnerships to make the development of the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP) more substantial and far-reaching. More importantly, this year was the year we deepened existing relationships with representatives from Tuvalu, especially former Prime Ministers Bikenibeau Paeneiu and Willy Telavi.

Efforts were underway to facilitate sustainable development projects in Tuvalu by connecting the leaders to resources, while having the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassadors learn from these projects and become future indigenous leaders who could run the programs.

We also established a partnership with the consulting company, AWOVEN, to cooperate on regenerative development projects in Taiwan and to find ways for the Indigenous Youth Ambassadors to work on these projects through internships and paid jobs.

Through our participation in the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, we were able to connect our new contacts with existing contacts and strengthen our bonds. This includes gaining commitments from Indigenous Youth Mentors, Yosifu, Uncle Kimokeo, Sakinu, and Bikenibeau Paeniu. This gives us a good foundation for the development of indigenous mentorship learning materials and events for our Indigenous Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP).


IV. 2024 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

  • February 2-4, 2024 - WULAI CULTURE TOUR - In early February 2024, Tony Coolidge, founder of the ATAYAL Organization, hosted a tour of Wulai District of New Taipei City, the nearest indigenous village to the city of Taipei in Taiwan. The picturesque, mist-shrouded settlement is the birthplace and home of his deceased mother, who is of the Atayal tribe. It is here where the founder discovered his indigenous heritage and decided to create the non-profit organization, ATAYAL, to honor his mother and her ancestors and build bridges for indigenous people to connect their communities. Knowing that he would relocate his family back to the USA, Tony Coolidge organized this 'farewell' tour of Wulai to introduce the Atayal culture of his mother's hometown to special guests and supporters of the ATAYAL Organization. It was during this tour that the special guests discussed how to build more support and Austronesian connections for the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP). It was also the first discussion on how FestPAC Hawai'i would be an ideal opportunity to build bridges with Austronesian nations.  View Photo Gallery
  • March 4, 2024 - INTRODUCTION TO TUVALU FOR THE HAPPY FISHERMAN - The The Happy Fisherman is an award-winning streaming series about the culture and history of the many fishing ports in Taiwan. After shooting three episodes around the Austronesian fishing culture of the Tao people of Orchid Island, the producer of the show was looking to expand the content and reach of the series. The ATAYAL Organization was happy to make the introduction to Ambassador Bikenibeau Paeniu to discuss the production of episodes around the fishing traditions of the Tuvaluan people. View Photo Gallery | View The Happy Fisherman Series
  • May 17-20, 2024 - ORCHID ISLAND TRIP - ATAYAL Organization founder, Tony Coolidge, visited Orchid Island from May 17-20, 2025 with the main priority being the singing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the ATAYAL Organization and our partner organization, the Tao Foundation. While there, he was able to experience and document more of the beautiful culture and scenery of the area. Visiting Orchid Island (Lanyu) is truly like traveling back in time and visiting a different country. View Photo Gallery | View MOU
  • June 6-16, 2024 - 13TH FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE - Regional Director (Hawai'i) of the ATAYAL Organization, Leiven Hwang, flew to Oahu to attend the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts (FestPAC Hawai'i) on June 5, 2024. This was the largest gathering of Austronesian nations, with more than 2,500 attendees from 28 Pacific nations. Taiwan had the largest delegation, bringing representatives from each of its 16 tribes. It was essential that the ATAYAL Organization had a presence, since the goal of the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP) is to build bridges across the Pacific. Leiven Hwang attended the event to make connections for our organization, and more importantly, he co-organized a cultural dinner event with the assistance of ambassador Bikenibeau Panieu and former Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Willy Telavi, to welcome a delegation from Tuvalu at the Tuvalu Fou Church in Honolulu. This event brought together cemented relationships between the organization partners from Taiwan, Hawai'i, and Tuvalu. The ATAYAL Organization provided funding support for the Tuvalu dinner event. Click for photos
  • July-August, 2024 - TATALA TRAVELS ACROSS THE USA - When Dan Long offered to loan his Tao tatala to the ATAYAL Organization, Vice President Gary Smoke cherished the opportunity to have a piece of Tao culture be available for future exchanges with the Tribal Canoe Journeys. In the Summer of 2024, Gary Smoke flew to the USA and took a very long road trip from Houston, TX to Florida to South Carolina, where he bought a trailer, Dan Long built a customized system to hold the boat in place on the trailer, and off they drove over 3,000 miles to Washington State. It was an epic road trip with one of Gary's friends. Gary was able to visit the 2024 Tribal Canoe Journeys event during his trip, stopping by the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation in Auburn, Washington. Aside from the tatala, itself, he was able to display other indigenous artifacts from Taiwan and the Marshall Islands. The tatala currently sits in the culture center of the Nisqually Tribe. Click for photos
  • September 23, 2024 - WHINA SCREENING IN TAIWAN - On September 23, 2024, the award-winning dramatic film, Whina screened at the 228 Peace Park Taiwan Human Rights Exhibition Hall. Producer, Paula Jones arrived in Taiwan to promote her film, which documented the life of Whina, a champion of Maori rights in Aotearoa (NZ). ATAYAL Organization had representatives in attendance, including Vice President Gary Smoke, and Board Member, Sue Babcock. It was well-attended by other supporters of our organization. Click for photos

V. FINANCIALS

In 2024, our organization had USD$8,392.72 in donations and income. We had total expenses of USD$22,023.81 (USD$4,536 in Operational Expenses and USD$17,487 in Program Expenses). Full 2024 Financials can be viewed here.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PRESS RELEASE 新聞消息: Benefit Concert in Taipei City to Celebrate Musical and Cultural Diversity 台北的慈善音樂會—慶祝音樂及文化多樣性

Image
Monday, July 3, 2023 - TAIPEI - The ATAYAL Organization is organizing a benefit concert event, "Our Journey IV" Benefit Concert, which will take place on Sunday, July 9, 2023 at the Beitou VW Football Park in Beitou District, Taipei City ( 英商明星足球訓練有限公司台灣分公司  | Click For Map ). The event will be co-hosted by Ella Wilkins and led by emcee Tony Taylor and DJ Marcus. The event will showcase a diverse lineup of musical acts and cultural presentations from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Musical acts include: Rockits, Dubb Roots Collective, The Dog's Bollocks, Am I Blue with James Liu and Alex Teachey, Oldtimers Jan and Lito, Deinovore (Metal), Neuropathik (Metal), DC Rapier, Jason Pannell, Dan Lovejoy (Bluegrass), B.B. Cooky Blues Band, and Fao To. Other performances will be provided by JV Juggler, Belize Cultural Dancers and Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassadors of the ATAYAL Organization . 2023年6月12日星期一 - 台北 - 愛泰雅協會正在籌辦一場慈善音樂會活動，名為「我們的旅程IV」慈善音樂會，將於2023年7月9日星期日在台北市北投區北投足球公園舉行（英商明星足...
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

Visiting Taitung in search of the meaning of my Indigenous identity

Image
(From Left To Right) Xander Coolidge, Si Mateneng, Tony Coolidge, Yosifu Visiting Taitung to learn more about what my own Indigenous identity means to me, I met three people whose Indigenous identities expanded their horizons and brought purpose and fulfillment to their lives. by Xander Coolidge (陳仁德) On February 8, 2023, during the Winter holidays, I traveled to Taitung City for four days to learn more about Indigenous culture and the possibilities that my own Atayal Indigenous identity may provide for my future. As a busy high school student in Taiwan, I only know basic information about Taiwan's Austronesian identity that is taught in Taiwanese schools. So, I valued this opportunity to learn from Indigenous people and to gain insights into what their Indigenous identities mean to them. I really don't know what my Austronesian roots mean to me and how it might influence my future, but it doesn't hurt to dig into the culture and see what is revealed in the Indigenous parad...
Read more