Taipei, Taiwan
Aug 4, 2026
Figuring that the Taiwan National History Museum would be a good place to start, that’s where I headed. A small museum, it had a tiny section for indigenous cultures of Taiwan. A display of a recreated interior had as its central piece, a carved wooden totem pole. It was startlingly similar to the totems I had seen recently at the Metropolitan Museum in NY. The Oceanic display encompassed West Papua, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and most of the islands immediately north. And here was one from Taiwan, astonishingly similar! Or perhaps not so surprising, considering the movements of peoples and culture. Grinning in delight, I pored over the rest. Knife scabbards were like those I remember seeing in Kalimantan in Indonesia many years ago. And intricate jewelry made of sea shells laboriously carved into beads too were reminiscent.
But where were other tribal artifacts of Taiwan? This surely cannot be the sole ones? One of the museum attendants graciously fielded my questions and her advice was to go to the Katagalan Culture Center. There was nary a mention of this in my guide book but having taken note of the location, I dutifully headed to Xinbeitou next.
This too was curiously bereft of artifacts. A hat made of skin, a couple of pieces of pottery and a woven basket were about the extent, none of them ancient, but reproductions. Most intriguing perhaps, was the reproduction of an annual calendar. Used in tribal societies to mark the times for sowing fields, slaughter of animals and times of harvest, it was intriguing. I have never seen its like anywhere before.
What the center lacked in artifacts, it made up for in photographs. A few were from the 1920s showing hunters. Many more were recent ones of ceremonies performed by various tribes. Oh, to be able to see them!
My Mandarin is non-existence and the staff’s English a tad shaky. But they welcomed my many questions and a mini conference followed. From online searches, I knew Ilisin, the harvest festival of the Amis tribe is held during August but the location and date were rarely announced ahead of time. Hualien county in the east was a good bet but the consensus here was that I should go instead to Chishang and inquire there. So here I am, heading to Chishang. The search continues
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 