Indigenous Taiwan Archives | Talking Taiwan Podcast

Tony Coolidge Talks About his Work with Indigenous Bridges Ep 113

Felicia Lin — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 07:58:34 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

This is part two of my interview with Tony Coolidge. Tony is the Founder of the Atayal organization, which is named after his mother’s indigenous tribe. In this interview Tony talks about his work with Indigenous Bridges through his nonprofit, the Atayal organization, and shares his perspectives on some of indigenous people he’s interacted with from around the world.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

The work of Indigenous Bridges
Why Tony moved back to Taiwan in 2009
How Indigenous Bridges serves to connect indigenous people from all over the world
How the mission of the Atayal organization shifted from sharing the culture of indigenous people to connecting indigenous people with each other
How Indigenous Bridges is about building trusted relationships based on shared cultures and cultural exchange
The sister city relationship between Orlando, Florida and Tainan, Taiwan
Sister tribe programs that are being developed
The indigenous youth ambassador program of Indigenous Bridges
Virtual cultural exchanges and conferences that are now being developed due to the onset of COVID-19
The common experiences and challenges of indigenous people
Possible solutions to the economic hardship that is often experienced by indigenous people around the world
How the rights of indigenous people in the U.S. compares to Taiwan and other parts of the world
The connection between the Maori indigenous people of New Zealand and the indigenous people of Taiwan
The migration of Austronesian people and how they originated from Taiwan
What Tony learned from the Maori indigenous people of New Zealand
How the Maori are a source of pride for New Zealand
The government’s role in preserving indigenous culture
How indigenous rights are protected by the United Nations and indigenous people can create treaties with each other
The struggles in trying to return property to the indigenous people of Taiwan
How the recognition of tribes gives them access to resources
The fight over resources between the different indigenous people of Taiwan
How Tony hopes that his work reveals that Taiwan is a far more diverse and interesting place than people have originally thought
How former President Lee Teng-hui’s role in changing the perception of indigenous people in Taiwan
Tony’s experience representing indigenous people at the UN headquarters in New York

Tony Coolidge: Finding his Indigenous Roots in Taiwan Ep 112

Felicia Lin — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 14:02:14 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Did you know that there are 16 indigenous tribes officially recognized in Taiwan and up to 29 self-identified tribes? Also, Taiwan’s current President Tsai Ing-wen’s paternal grandmother was from the Paiwan tribe. My guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan is Tony Coolidge. Tony is the Founder of the Atayal organization, which is named after his mother’s indigenous tribe. In this interview Tony talks about finding his indigenous roots and the indigenous people of Taiwan. This is part one of a two part interview.

In part two of our interview, Tony will talk about his work with Indigenous Bridges through his nonprofit, the Atayal organization.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Tony discovered his indigenous roots
Tony memories of his mother and the lessons she taught him
Tony’s mother’s connection to Taiwan and her indigenous roots
The first time that Tony visited Taiwan and met his mother’s family
Tony’s mother’s village Wulai
The documentary film that was made about Tony’s month-long trip to Taiwan with his brother during which time he met with several indigenous peoples and learned more about the culture
Tony’s mother’s struggles as an indigenous person and why she may have hidden her indigenous background from him
The pressure that Tony’s grandfather (his mother’s father, who was the chief/mayor of Wulai) had to show allegiance to the Chinese under the Kuomintang regime
How the indigenous peoples’ identity was suppressed under the Kuomintang regime and led to discrimination and abuse of indigenous people
The discrimination that indigenous people faced under the rule of the Kuomintang and Japanese
How the discrimination and abuse of indigenous people has changed over time
Tony’s desire to preserve indigenous culture
How policies of former President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian and the changing attitudes of the media contributed to changing people views of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan
Some key facts about the Atayal tribe (that Tony’s mother belonged to)
The mountainous and lowland indigenous tribes of Taiwan
How many indigenous tribes are presently recognized in Taiwan
The story of how the Atayal tribe’s custom of headhunting was ended
How Tony’s sons are learning the Atayal language
Tony started his nonprofit organization in 2001
In 2004 Tony’s nonprofit had its first indigenous cultural festival in Orlando, Florida
Alice the teacher of indigenous cultures that Tony met in 2004 and how she was instrumental in arranging the trip during which much of the documentary about Tony’s life was filmed
Tony’s trip to Taiwan in December 2004- January 2005 with his brother and the documentary film crew
How the trip to Taiwan affected Tony’s brother
How the death of Tony’s father-in-law happened in the middle of the trip and film
The challenges that Tony and his brother faced during the trip
The similarities and differences amongst Taiwan’s indigenous tribes
How the lives of indigenous peoples changed overnight when the Japanese removed them from their villages in the mountains
How have the indigenous peoples of Taiwan have adjusted over time
Social issues facing young indigenous peoples
The story of an indigenous policeman, Sakino who created a hunting, survival club through with he passed down indigenous knowledge
The most memorable moments of Tony’s 2004 trip to Taiwan
The abandoned village in the mountains (in Pintung) that Tony visited in the documentary film
How the 16 tribes now recognized in Taiwan were mostly originally mountainous tribes because the lowland tribes have been assimilated so long ago
Research has shown that more than 70% of Taiwanese have some indigenous DNA

Professor Scott Simon: Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to Ecology Ep 99

Felicia Lin — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 16:00:03 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Earlier this year, I spoke with Professor Scott Simon about his research on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. He is a Professor in the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies and Co-holder of the Research Chair in Taiwan Studies at the University of Ottawa. He’s done research in Taiwan since 1996, spent an accumulated 10 years of residence in the country, and published 3 books about Taiwan. We talked about Taiwan as the cradle of Austronesian peoples and culture, and what the designation of a group of people as “indigenous” means from an international law perspective. What’s interesting to me is how Professor Simon’s work invites us to think of Taiwan as a Pacific island nation rather than a renegade province of China.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Professor Simon got interested in the indigenous peoples of Taiwan
How there were a lot of changes pertaining to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan around 1996
The indigenous people that Professor Simon met while in Taiwan
What brought Professor Simon to Taiwan initially in 1996
How Professor Simon had initially planned to obtain his PhD in China but ended up doing it in Taiwan
How Professor Simon’s research on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and economic development led him to study the ecology and environment, and the study of Austronesian peoples
The connection between the Bhatani Islands of the Philippines and Taiwan
The similarity between the CHamoru language (of the people of Guam) with the Truku language of the Taiwanese indigenous people and Tao language spoken in Taiwan’s Orchid Island
Looking at Taiwan as a Pacific island nation and not just as connected to China
Taiwan’s connection to Guam, Marieta Islands, Carolina Islands, Maori of New Zealand and Easter Island
Book recommendations for people wanting to learn more about Taiwan’s indigenous peoples
The difference between categorizing a group of people as indigenous vs. an ethnic minority
The three nations in Asia that recognize indigenous peoples
The political implications that come with a group of people being declared indigenous

Professor Andrew Morris: The Relationship Between Taiwan Baseball and its History Ep 96

Felicia Lin — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 08:21:44 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

With major league baseball playoffs soon upon us, we thought that this episode might appeal to our baseball fans. It seems like a distant memory now, when about a month into the Coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan was the only place on the planet where live professional baseball was being played. My guest on this episode is Professor Andrew Morris whose research on baseball in Taiwan presents a fascinating new angle and way of seeing Taiwan’s history. I came across his writings and research when I was doing some research for my interview (episode 77) with Richard Wang the English-speaking broadcaster of CPBL games in Taiwan.

How important is baseball to Taiwan? Did you know that there’s a baseball related image featured on Taiwan’s currency or that Taiwan’s little league baseball team won 17 times from 1979 to 1996?

Interestingly, Professor Morris began our interview by sharing his own mistaken assumption of baseball as a symbol of American culture in Taiwan. He went on to explain that baseball was introduced to Taiwan by Japan, while it was a colony of Japan from 1895-1945. We covered a broad range of topics including how baseball survived the arrival of the Kuomintang in Taiwan, the rise of Taiwan’s little league team, the establishment of a professional baseball league in Taiwan (CPBL) which has had its ups and downs, and the short-lived Taiwan Major League.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Professor Morris got interested in the topic of baseball and the history of Taiwan
How baseball in Taiwan is not as it seems on the surface, a symbol of American culture in Taiwan
What were some of the most surprising and interesting things that Professor Morris has learned about baseball in Taiwan over the course of his research
The role of Taiwan’s Indigenous people in the game of baseball in Taiwan
What baseball tells us about Taiwan’s Japanese colonial era
How Chiayi (嘉義) is known as the spiritual home of baseball and how that was captured in the film Kano
How “Kano,” is the nickname of the old Chiayi Agricultural and Forestry Vocational High School, which comes from the two Japanese words “Ka-gi No-rin”
The Kano baseball team became the best team in Taiwan and is remembered by the Japanese
How Kano is remembered as an example of the success of Japan’s colonialism in Taiwan
Baseball as a pathway for Indigenous peoples during Taiwan’s Japanese colonial period
Professor Morris’ thoughts about the film Kano and its historical accuracy
The Japanese influence that we still see in Taiwanese baseball today
How after the Kuomintang arrived in Taiwan, around 1946, they tried to remove and erase Japanese culture, but baseball was allowed to remain
What happened to baseball after the Kuomintang arrived in Taiwan
How baseball games were played in the aftermath of the 228 massacre and a famous baseball coach was killed in the 228 massacre
Taiwan’s little league baseball team and how it served to bolster Republic of China (ROC) nationalism
The 1968 legend of what led Taiwan creating a little league team and participating in the little league world series
How in 1969, the Taiwanese little league team played in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA for the first time and won
Between 1969-1996 the Taiwanese little league team won the Little League World Series 17 times and became a source of pride for the Taiwanese who watched the games late at night
The story (from the 70s) of how a coach of a little league team comprised mostly of Black players sensed the anti-Chinese and anti-Taiwanese sentiment against the Taiwanese little league team
How the Taiwanese little league team became a source of Taiwanese pride (different from ROC pride)
How the KMT hired Chinatown thugs to beat up the pro-Taiwanese little league fans and fights would break out between them after little league games
What happened to Taiwan’s little league team
The legacy of Taiwan’s little league team
How the American little league teams that were able to beat Taiwan’s little league team were celebrated an ESPN made a 30 for 30 film about this
The story behind the image of the youth baseball team that appears on Taiwan’s 500 dollar bill
The establishment of the CPBL and its game throwing and gambling scandals
The short-lived Taiwan Major League (TML) and how it differed from the CPBL
How baseball has been tied to Taiwan’s national identity in the past but that has changed as Taiwan has become more democratic
The research that Professor Morris is working on now
Professor Morris’ recommendations of other books on the subject of baseball in Taiwan

Indigenous Taiwan Archives | Talking Taiwan Podcast

Tony Coolidge Talks About his Work with Indigenous Bridges Ep 113

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Tony Coolidge: Finding his Indigenous Roots in Taiwan Ep 112

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Professor Scott Simon: Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to Ecology Ep 99

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Professor Andrew Morris: The Relationship Between Taiwan Baseball and its History Ep 96

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links: