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Lung Ying-tai pledges support for indigenous communities

  • Date:2013-08-18
Lung Ying-tai pledges support for indigenous communities

To learn how cultural resources are being utilized in indigenous communities, Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai visited several locations in Pingtung County with potential cultural value, including an independent bookstore, an art studio and a performance venue.


Lung said she was glad to see such remote indigenous communities find potential spots that are culturally valuable, and that the government's investment of resources has started to produce substantive results.


The Ministry of Culture will keep up the work by taking an inventory of the resources and helping cultural hotspots improve their quality, find sales channels and increase revenue, the Minister added.


"Only when there is economic potential, will there be jobs. And young people are likely to come home only when there are jobs. Traditions can only be passed down when the younger generation stays with the community. This is indeed a necessary virtuous cycle,” said Lung.


In addition to creating marketing channels through the Taiwan International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo and organizing consultative groups to help the industry improve their products, the Ministry is also willing to subsidize owners of independent bookstores, she noted.


The first leg of Lung's visit was Fan Yi Art Books House, the first indigenous independent bookstore in southern Taiwan. Owner Lin Ming-te runs a local newspaper for indigenous communities and stocks the bookstore with his personal literary collections and other cultural information. Many of his books are not for sale but only for rent to encourage young indigenous people to read.


Speaking about the increasing closures of independent bookstore around the world, Lung said the Ministry values independent bookstores. In addition to studying the possibility of fixing book prices, the Ministry has also given subsidies to support independent bookstores, noted Lung. Other independent bookstore owners from Kaohsiung and Pingtung also talked with Lung, who said she will send officials to introduce the Ministry's supportive measures for independent bookstore owners.


The Ministry allocated nearly NT$600 million (US$20 million) of its 2009 budget for areas devastated by Typhoon Morakot, with half of it being used to recover cultural assets and the other half for art therapies for typhoon victims and to rebuild culture in such areas.


Following the central government's special subsidy for Typhoon Morakot, the Ministry will also introduce outside resources from small-and-medium businesses and private organizations with the aim of developing community culture, said the Minister.


Davaran, a tribe in a new community known as Rinari that was constructed after the typhoon, is famous for its crafts. Ten craft studios ranging from wood carving, weaving, mixed media to iron foundry have been opened in the tribe of more than 170 families. The Minister was impressed by the craft works displayed by the residents, and said: "These traditional crafts, if combined with contemporary designs, can open up more markets.”


This year's Taiwan International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo will have a section featuring "hidden art” to introduce these unknown art designs to global buyers, Lung added. Meanwhile, the Ministry will form consultative groups and make the arrangements for designers to hold workshops and help community craftspeople improve their works.


Then the Minister visited a kitchen, a millet farmer's house and a warrior's residence to learn about the Kucapungane community's host family program.


Towards the end of the trip, Lung visited a performance venue of the Paiwan tribe in Sandimen, where the dance troupe performed a traditional warrior dance to welcome the visitors. The Ministry has assisted the owner in improving the quality of its dance performances and liuli glass products for two years.


After her inspection, Lung said most of the potential cultural spots were newly launched and a lot has to be done to improve their quality. She was particularly impressed by the crafts in Davaran, saying that "(the community) has so many good artists and craftspeople, but their works have no marketing channels. The Ministry must find channels for them and help translate their works into real revenue.”