Members of the Austronesian (or Malayo-Polynesian) language group are found on island chains of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Their range spans from Taiwan in the north to New Zealand in the south (but not Australia), and from the Easter Islands (near the South American mainland) in the east to as far west as Madagascar, which is just to the east of continental Africa. All told, some 200 million people speak the 300-500 different languages that comprise the group.

　　The Taiwanese aborigines make up one branch of the Austronesians, and they share many linguistic and cultural traits with other Austronesians, to whom they are related by blood as well as by language. The Austronesians have a legacy of 5000 years, but their cultures have diverged in accordance with differences in climate and living conditions. Yet when they gather under the blue sky and white clouds of the small city of Taitung, their collective memories gush forth. It’s as if they are giving their ancestors a second life.

　　In Taitung County,where the mountains come right down to the sea, there are six different tribes of aboriginal Taiwanese: the Puyuma, Yami, Bunun, Paiwan, Rukai, and Ami. Among the 320000 aborigines island-wide from 11tribes, more than 80000 live in Taitung, more than in any other county or city. And because Taitung abounds with prehistoric artifacts, the National Museum of Prehistory was set up there.

　　With the strong support of the Council for Cultural Affairs, Taitung County has hosted an annual celebration of Austronesian culture since 1999, inviting aboriginal performance groups from places that share its Austronesian cultural heritage, including Guam, Hawaii, Fiji, Palau, and the Solomon Islands. Apart from academic lectures, the festival includes an “Austronesian Cultural Hall,” an “Austronesian Audio-visual Archive,” performances of Austronesian music and dance, an “Experience Austronesian Culture Camp,” and an “Austronesian Bazaar.” By allowing people to see the clothing and jewelry of Austronesian cultures, to taste their food, and participate in their ceremonies, the festival aims through its exhibits and live performances to spread understanding about the rich living traditions of the Austronesians, many of which have been passed down for thousands of years.

　　The Taitung County government has gone all out to make this festival a success. In years past, in order to promote and enliven the festival, they have invited Lee Tai-hsiang, an Ami singer, to perform at the festival, and have designated the singer A-mei Chang, who is herself a Puyuma from Taitung, as festival spokesperson. Apart from well-known groups of bamboo pipe performers from the Solomon Islands and Maori dance performers from New Zealand, they have also invited aboriginal performance groups from Taiwan that are just as impressive, including Puyuma performers of the “rain prayer,” which is traditionally part of the tribe’s Water Splashing Festival. The water festival is led by women, who run around splashing people, drawing water from bamboo buckets hanging from shoulder poles. Men are responsible for supplying the water. The festival has gradually evolved so that the performers splash outside participants as well as the performing tribe members. Those who get splashed are supposed to have good luck for the coming year. It’s a lot of fun for tourists and members of the tribe alike.

　　The Rukai people’s 18-meter-high swing, which is used during their coming-of-age ceremony, is another festival highlight. The swing can only be sat in by teenage girls, whereas the boys of the tribe gather below to push. What passions are expressed through the swinging! From past to present, the ceremony has provided a way for the teenage boys and girls of the tribe to convey their affections for each other. Taitung is a place of blue sky and water, a small city on the eastern coast of the subtropical island of Taiwan. Immersed in music, dance, religious ritual and rites of passage, what joy and harmony it witnesses during this festival!

　　The Festival of Austronesian Cultures in Taitung will be held this December. The festival will promote cultural exchange and the search for roots among the Austronesian peoples who gather at this homeland of aboriginal culture by the shore. It is further hoped that it will also stir up consciousness among each tribe about their own culture, so that aboriginal traditions can be preserved and tribal legacies passed along.