The connection between Taiwan and the Pacific Island community is stronger than ever as all the delegations share their culture in different traditional Hawaiian Hales (houses) under the same roof at the Hawaii Convention Centre
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 June 2024 – The Council of Indigenous Peoples hosted a welcome reception on 7 June 2024 at the opening of the Taiwan Hall as part of the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. Those invited included members of the 26 delegations and local dignitaries in Hawaii. The opening reception presented various performances to highlight the vibrancy of Taiwan’s Indigenous communities and the shared linguistic and cultural connections to the rest of Oceania. Taiwan has 16 recognized Indigenous communities, all of whom speak languages that are in the same linguistic family as most Pacific Islands.
The Deputy Minister of The Council of Indigenous Peoples – Mr. Calivat‧Gadu is the the leader of the delegation. At the welcome reception of the opening of Taiwan Hall, he thanked and gave words of appreciation for the assistance of Alex Lei, Executive Director of State of Hawaii Office in Taipei, Richard Lin, Director General in Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu, and local Taiwanese enterprises in Hawaii.
While Taiwan has participated in previous iterations of FestPAC, this year’s delegation is the highest. Nearly one hundred traditional craftsmen and performing artists were selected by the Council of Indigenous Peoples to attend. The Hualien and Taitung County Governments also led a team of more than 200 cultural workers who visited Hawaii to engage and promote Indigenous cultures at various locations nearby. In total, the Taiwan delegation includes more than 300 people. Through each engagement and performance presented at each corner of Hawaii, Indigenous artists are sharing the abundance and diversity of their cultures alongside other Pacific islands.
Mr. Calivat‧Gadu, The Deputy Chairperson, stressed that Taiwan is a small island with a surface area of 36,000 square km, but it has 16 Indigenous communities with distinct cultures. During the exhibition period, the Taiwan Hall will act as the home for the Taiwan delegation and present the connection between Taiwan and Pacific community members.
Via interactive and engaging information panels, the hall also introduces the rituals of the Indigenous peoples in Taiwan, the diversity of languages in the Austronesian language family, and traditional and current objects. There will also be live performances and DIY workshops where FestPAC visitors and relegation members can learn more in-person. The cultural exchanges at FestPAC will be fruitful in creating more conversations about the historic connection between Taiwan and Oceania.
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