During the generational transition, many cultures, as if in the intertidal zone, are contemplating how to pass on their traditions and what to do. In this episode, we encounter stories of people who strive to continue the ancestral wisdom they inherited, sharing knowledge accumulated through coexistence with nature beyond mainstream worldviews regarding medicine, architecture, and agriculture. We also learn about how the new generation learns, transforms, and continues this knowledge while seeking self-identity.
01:10-Ｗe visit the Paiwan community in Lalauran, which has coexisted with the Amis people for a long time in Taiwan's east coast. They gradually establish their sense of self-identity by rebuilding the annual harvest ceremony, wearing traditional clothing, and reclaiming millet cultivation.
16:20-The Penan people in Borneo, whose livelihoods depend closely on the jungle and are one of the few remaining nomadic communities. They take only what they need to live from the jungle and their core values include "sharing" and "not taking more than necessary for survival." Let's listen to Penan elders' path to how the jungle perpetually participates in their daily food and activities and their relationship with the modernization of dietary culture.
27:07-Naming a child is an essential ritual for Borneo Highlander, Kayan and Kenya people, equating a child with the importance of their land and community. Children who have not undergone naming ceremonies are like spirits without a home. This segment shares this rarely discussed but essential tradition of the Kayan and Kenya people.
35:15-For the Penan people, having a healthy life without the jungle is impossible. The jungle is like their natural pharmacy. This session records the invaluable herbal knowledge of the Penan people, as two elders slowly open this vast medicine cabinet filled with tree roots, plant stems and leaves, petals, and spring water, sharing how the jungle heals, poisons, feeds, and soothes them.
44:40-We learn about the "River People" or Melanau tribe, who, before building their own homes, use body perception and pass down experiences through generations to find the most suitable and comfortable location and orientation in nature. This knowledge is passed down through physical experience from generation to generation.
47:54-Ｗe visit the Amis community, Madawdaw, in Taiwan's east coast, where a young man, Akac Orat, recreated the traditional Amis house-building process, showcasing the cooperative and mutual assistance lifestyle among the community (malapaliw) and the spirit of taking from and giving back to nature, as he continuously practices to find the most direct connection with the homeland.
Interviewee: Sakinu Tepiq(Paiwan), John Lu(Paiwan), Iling Luvaniyaw(Paiwan), Penan elders, Adrian Jo Milang(Kayan), Juvita Tatan Wan(Kenya), Walid Ali(Melanau), Akac Orat(Amis/Puyuma)
Interviewer: Wendy Teo, Wei Ling Hung, Yunjie Liao, Huei-Jen Lin, Sam Mei, Glee Lin
Recording: Nigel Brown, Wendy Teo, Wei Ling Hung, Sam Mei, Yii Kah Hoe
Editing/mixing/sound design: Nigel Brown
The project is initiated by The Corridor from Taiwan & Borneo Laboratory from Malaysia with support from Asia Cultural Council.