Perspectives of Indigenous Bridges

A-way introduces her native Saisiyat language. So’o kayzaeh ay! My name is A-way (ah-wai) Maya Titiyon and my mother is from the Saisiyat People. It’s one of the smallest indigenous groups in the country. Our traditional lands are in Western Taiwan, mostly in the mountainous areas of Hsinchu (Wufong) and Miaoli (Nanzhuang and Shitan). My tribe (Wufong) has been greatly influenced by the much larger ethnic groups of Atayal and Haaka through intermarriage, which is why our language has become endangered with only about 1000 fully-fluent speakers. Even though my mother grew up in a Saisiyat village when she was young, she never learned the language, as she had to speak Mandarin at school, and most of her classmates either spoke Haaka or Atayal outside of the classroom. So, I grew up in an environment where I had little exposure to our culture, but at important festivals like paSta'ay, my family would bring their children back to participate. Even if I'm rarely in the tribe while ...

On Monday, March 14, ATAYAL Executive Director Tony Coolidge and Tribal Canoe Journeys participant, Johan Coolidge, gave a lecture at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) on indigenous Taiwanese people, their culture and their connection to other indigenous Austronesian peoples. He was invited by Professor Mucahid Gezerogullari to offer a presentation to the students of his Studies in Political Ecology class. In this lecture, students were given the opportunity to explore the international possibilities available through the connections of the Austronesian peoples of Taiwan with the Austronesians around the world. They also were asked to imagine what the connections and cooperation would offer all of Taiwanese society. Johan Coolidge shares his experiences with Indigenous culture exchange. Johan Coolidge shared his personal experiences interacting with Native American and Native Hawaiian youth at the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys events in 2018 and 2019. He also discussed how develo...

We are proud to welcome  Amanda Minor  to the ATAYAL Team, where she will serve as our  Public Relations Director  and Journalist for Indigenous Bridges. She will work not only to share the stories of indigenous people and culture, but also to learn about these cultures so critical to Taiwan’s history, and to extend their reach to other parts of the world. Amanda will manage our social media campaign, documenting our activities and sharing indigenous knowledge through the various platforms. Amanda Minor grew up in the United States and studied communications and anthropology. This interest led her to Taiwan shortly after graduating, where she continued her master’s studies in International Business Management. Working professionally in marketing, she is specializing her skills within public relations and social media management. She is happiest when exploring new parts of rural Taiwan through road trips or hikes, and taking in all the raw nature as contrast to the ci...

The ATAYAL organization is proud to announce the addition of our newest member of our International Advisory Board, Hua-yuan (Wally) Su. He is an accomplished public speaker and successful businessman in the public and private educational markets. This well-connected Taiwanese has supported the ATAYAL organization for years. With years of experience in management in educational technology, he is well-position to contribute to our organization's education-oriented policies and project. His connections and resources will also be helpful for creating sustainable programs. Mr. Su will be consulted to troubleshoot and create solutions with our partners in Taiwan.

  Will Tsang, Regional Director of Washington State The ATAYAL Organization is proud to acknowledge the accomplishments of Will Tsang, our former Project Coordinator in Seattle, WA. In 2021, he organized the Mask Gifting Ceremony for the Nisqually Tribe . Not only was it a generous gesture from the Taiwanese government, facilitated by Mr. Tsang and our organization, but the event created a discourse about cooperation for culture exchange and trade. The ATAYAL Organization has promoted Will Tsang to the position of Regional Director of Washington State. His responsibilities include facilitating cultural exchanges with the Native American groups in the State. A 1st generation Taiwanese-Canadian immigrant of Chinese and Atayal heritage, William is an advocate of indigenous self-determination. In 2017, he helped organize the first Taiwanese delegation to the Tribal Canoe Journeys in Washington State. Since then, he has been involved with hosting delegations as a translator and cultural...

 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ATAYAL ORGANIZATION The 2021 Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of the ATAYAL Organization, which was usually held in November, was held on Saturday, January 22, 2022  at the English Library in Taipei, and it was also broadcast online via Google Meets. According to the the Quorum defined in our previous By-laws, we had at least two of our Board Members in attendance. During this meeting, we shared 2021 achievements and discussed 2022 goals and shared responsibilities with volunteers. ATTENDANCE Those in attendance of the 2022 Annual Meeting and their titles are as follows: 1) Tony Coolidge, President, Secretary, Treasurer and acting Executive Director 2) Gary Smoke, Vice President and acting Deputy Director 3) Guy Charlton, Board Member 4) Sue Babcock, Board Member 5) Will Tsang, Regional Director There were about 20 additional guests in attendance. DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS 1) Annual Report 2) Bylaws 3) Organizational Chart 4) 2021 Fina...

The Financials of 2021 reflect another year of restricted program activity due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the organization has focused on program develop and relationship development for the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program. The expenses reflect this restricted level of activity, but the donations surpassed the 2021 goals. INCOME ($21,967.00) Donations (19) - $11,967.00 Donations (1) - $10,000.00 EXPENSES ($2,782.82) OPERATIONAL EXPENSES ($1,459.50) Professional Services - $385.34 Office Supplies/Software - $476.71 Printing - $25.80 Dues and Subscriptions - $71.25    Travel and Transportation - $59.90  Rent - 2021 Washington State Registered Agent Fee 2021 and Mailbox Rental - $300 .00 Bank Fees - $140.50 PROGRAM EXPENSES ($1,595.69) Meals - $486.89 Travel and Transportation - $653.26      Accommodations - $272.37 Supplies - $42.91 Printing - $5.14      Miscellaneous (scholarship) - $105.00 Bank Fees - $30.12 NET I...