The National Museum of Prehistory (NMP) and Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center signed a memorandum of cooperation on Feb. 12, and exchanged iconic Paiwan qata beads in symbolic commemoration of the establishment of a long-term reciprocal relationship.
The agreement aims to foster increased exchange of academic research, museum expertise, and cultural educators, as well as joint promotional efforts around the organization of artistic, cultural, and educational exhibitions and the provision of tourist entrance discounts between the two institutions.
"Since I took on the directorship here, our main policy focus has been on connecting local communities and promoting cultural participation," stated NMP director Lee Yu-fen (李玉芬).
“We are confident that new sharing of resources will open up more possibilities and have a synergistic effect. Over the years, the NMP has worked with other regional museums, taking advantage of our relative size to help smaller museums curate exhibitions, promote collections of cultural relics, and organize educational activities,” Lee added.
This new cooperative effort will see the NMP help the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center organize 23 regional training courses for local specialists, including arranging syllabuses and teachers to help train prospective operators of indigenous museum spaces.
In addition, this year the Center’s three museum spaces will receive assistance from the Ministry of Culture’s Museum-Library-Archive (MLA) program to curate exhibitions and organize events. Furthermore, visitors to both the NMP and the Center will be able to enjoy entrance discounts at each by presenting a ticket stub from the other – a joint promotional effort that will multiply their collective marketing effectiveness.
The NMP was Taiwan’s first national museum focused on archeology and anthropology, and is dedicated to Taiwanese archeology and Austronesian linguistic research, collections, exhibitions, and education. It aims to inspire the public to cherish and protect Taiwan’s rich environment, prehistory, and Austronesian cultures.
The primary mission of the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center's Taiwan Indigenous Culture Park is to promote and preserve the cultures of Taiwan's 16 recognized indigenous tribes through exhibitions of traditional architecture, cultural relics, art, and culture, as well as cultural experiences and musical and dance performances. Through the creation of a network of academic exchange, they also seek to enrich the development of community education and tourism.
It is with an eye toward future research and exhibits related to Austronesian languages, the establishment of regional museums of indigenous cultures, and the construction of the National Museum of Indigenous Peoples that the NMP and Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center have established this long-term cooperative effort. Through it, they will be able to more effectively promote indigenous cultural exchange and the development of relevant museum specialists.