Amis Artists Embrace the Spirit of the Sea | Yosifu’s Cultural Canvas
Why do Amis men like to do these things? One word: beauty. It’s like dancing in your mouth Right So good. No wonder you married him.
Teacher, can I put this here? You can. Respect for the land and protecting our oceans can be lead by you. All of us.
One word: beauty What do you mean? I grew up in the Matalin Village, Hualien, which is located at the foot of the Central Mountain Range about a 50-minute drive away. To me, the mountains and oceans are not just beautiful scenery, but a community that I strive to understand and connect with on a deeper, heartfelt level. I like to visit local markets the most because I can feel the local culture and traditions most directly.
This market is so exciting! I can't wait to go dig for treasures. Iyo, right now aren’t we near the traditional market? Yes Do you usually shop here? I usually shop here. We’ll follow you. Okay These are cool.
I'll tell you about this. Yes This is tali. This is our village’s taro. Yes These are shrimp from the creek? Creek shrimp Let me take a look.
You catch them at night. They only come out at night. They don’t come out during the day. How do you cook them? Fry them Oh, you fry them? You parboil them? You could parboil them. Some people make sashimi. You can eat them raw? Is there anything else? There’s more! Thank you, ma’am.
No worries! Thank you Wild produce That's facidol. Breadfruit, right? Breadfruit Breadfruit And this This too. What's this? Ma’am, what's this? Kadangaway (Coral dealbatus) Kadangaway Kadangaway Why is it called “mosquito greens”? How would I know? Everyone calls it mosquito greens so I call it mosquito greens.
Maybe mosquitoes like resting on it. The flower is like a mosquito. It can really fly. Oh! That’s why! These bamboo shoots? They serve it differently. It’s pickled.
In Dagangkou we add some tofu. It's perfect for summer. It's great for summer. Er Rao, what's next? Aquatic vegetables Aquatic vegetables? That’s right. This is nostoc.
Oh, nostoc! Aquatic vegetables Wow, this is purple! Right, it's purple. The Taiwanese call these “rain mushrooms”. Right? That’s also nostoc.
You can only find it after it rains. How do we prepare it? We parboil it then we make a salad. Salad too, right? Right Ma’am, want some? Yes How much? 100 grams of each Can you eat this raw? Yes Try it raw. Yes, all of it.
It’s a bit salty is all. This one is okay. But you should parboil it. This is delicious. Let me try this one. Wow! This flavor is really special.
It’s tasty. It even tastes good raw. There’s more up here. There’s more up here. The best part of the traditional market is seeing all the things we don’t usually get to eat.
This is raw pork, “silaw.” Right, raw pork, “silaw.” This is our raw pork, silaw. This must be tripe or… Beef tallow Oh, it’s beef tallow We used to eat this a lot as kids because it was so yummy. Right Really salty, but yummy.. Yosifu look, an “Amis beefsteak” Oh, snails! Snails This small bag must have taken ages to collect.
Then you need to smash the shell, remove the shell, remove the mucus. So it’s not easy. Look, there’s big and small ones! This is all very local food. Average markets won't have it. Right, you won’t see it.
These are sea snails? Taiwanese corded turban snails. These are nutmeg snails from the deep ocean. Stunning! Sea snails These are great -seafood taste They are only found where the waves break. These are the best.
There's seaweed growing on the outside? Yes, that’s why. Yes, really tasty. Seaweed You can even eat the seaweed. Nibble it like this. Delicious! We have to buy this! There is so much knowledge here! This is so precious! Is this flying fish? This is flying fish.
Smoked flying fish. They're in season? Right now? My husband is a skilled fisherman. So he can still catch them now. Got it No wonder you married him. Art comes from real life and the colors here inspire me greatly.
Why do Amis men like to do these things? One word: beauty. The Amis people love beauty. So, we all make ourselves beautiful. How do we look? Iyo, what are we going to do now? Let’s find...
We just bought a lot of ingredients. Now we need to pick utensils for preparing food. What kind of plant do we usually use as a plate? lengac (shell ginger) Let's search the forest. Well, the roadside. Are those shell ginger leaves? That's right! You found them! You come from the mountains.
And this? We sometimes use the rhizome to smoke meat or flying fish to add that aroma. Here, smell this. The flavor Natural spices This smells a bit like lemon and mint and black pepper flavor. It is so aromatic! Okay. Let’s head back home.
Soon we can enjoy our delicious cuisine. Okay Let’s go! Amis people have a matriarchal society. During the harvest ceremony, when men come back from fishing or hunting, it is also the men’s job to cook for the family. Today we two artists are going to cook for everyone. Come in What next? Let’s make the sea snails. Those? We just parboil.
Yes, parboil them. Savor the original flavor. Right Er Rao, how do you usually cook these snails? Add some salt So you don’t need it later. When it's near boiling I take them off the heat. Don't overcook them. They won't open...
They'll get stuck. What kind of sauce? Salt, chili peppers That's it. -and some water Salt, chili peppers and water. We use the snail broth. We don’t waste it.
Don’t waste it. Yosifu, look! We just bought these at the market. There's seaweed on the shells. That’s right.
They cook quickly. They're just parboiled? Don't overcook them. Now you can smell the fresh aroma of the sea. Teacher, can I put this here? Okay Let’s put it here. Put it here What would you like? What would I like? Add as much as I like? I want some of this salty seaweed just like the sea.
I’ll also add purple seaweed. What's seaweed in Amis? Kakotong Linalin All kinds of seaweed Lots of seaweed. Let’s eat! We cooked all of this! We were just talking about the seaweed on the outside.
Let me try this. I love the saltiness of seafood. green turban sea snails Right, green turbans And the dipping sauce? Salt, chili pepper and water RIght? It's like dancing in your mouth Right Delicious! You made the seaweed yourself. Finish first. It's even more tender after it's parboiled. It's even more tender and crispy Flying fish? Yes What's “flying fish”? Kakahog They're in season? Flying fish season is from March to May.
I always thought flying fish were from the Tao of Orchid Island. But the Amis people on the East Coast also catch them. The ones they can't catch on Orchid Island fly over here and get caught by us.
Which season is the Sea Festival? Our village has Sea Festival in May. Are the Sea Festivals different for each village? Or are they the same? They are all different All different It depends on when the fish are schooling as they arrive at the villlage. We also thank the Sea Gods, Pasiwsiw and Alikakay. The Sea Gods. During the Sea Festival, women aren't allowed to enter the venue.
During the Sea Festival, the men of the village enter the sea where they collect the ingredients from the shore for the elders to enjoy. We usually go hunting where you rely on the sea. You also have Komoris The River Ceremony That’s right Both rituals honor the water as a sign of respect.
A sort of reverence. We Amis people have our own techniques for catching fish. Rather than reeling in all of the fish we catch, we only keep the adult fish and release all the young. By doing so, we maintain the balance of the ecosystem, so that nature will continue to thrive.
We’re here in the Eco-Art Village. How does it work now? They create art for 15 days. Then there’s an event with a market and stage performances. Last year over two hundred artists applied but we only selected four.
Six were those we invited ourselves. Two hundred applicants and only four were chosen. So you must have chosen really carefully. But you have been so successful! When did you start? We started in 2020. The year 2020.
That’s right. Which means this is the fourth year. Who wouldn’t come to this great place? I want to be a resident here! Can I apply for a residency here? Could I have this honor? Last year we went to Hawaii for an exchange. They were masters of navigation.
We made gifts of our boats but we've been colonized for too long. The freedom of the sea is all but gone. So slowly but surely we’re growing more and more distant from the sea. Last time I asked an elder in my village, ninety-something years-old, but he had no memory of sailing the seas. I think it is such a pity. Those who remember those places are all gone.
So it is not just at the artistic level, it's also our responsibility for the continuation of culture. At that time we used art to tell a story in which we used our work to tell a stories. That’s awesome! When we set this up the elders were really happy. “I know what you are talking about," "what you are saying.” Around then we created artwork about the sea.
Since we were working with fishing nets and iron, they came from all over. They got quite upset, “What’s wrong with our oceans?” The sea really is an essential part of life. Almost everything we eat and drink is integrally connected with the sea. How we make a living is yet another issue. Sometimes we tell young folks “If you want to come back” then you need to start from everyday life.
You have to understand how to live with the sea. You need to understand waves, listen to them, count them, learn the whole rhythm of the waves. You need to understand how to observe how the intertidal zone changes. That's how a child returns to the village. So when I came back I didn’t understand the sea. But my father kept telling me: “Let the waves open a window for you," "so that you can see" "where the schools of fish are.”
To do all of this you need to gradually enter the sea and then the sea will give you the answers. I think this lesson is extremely important. Any special experiences you can share with us? One time, I was setting lobster traps. Lobsters are always in the crevices. One crevice was really narrow... Really narrow? And I knew the current was surging in there.
I wouldn't be able to get back out. If I had been really greedy, I probably would have joined them and descended down there. I thought to myself: “No, this isn’t right.” It was as though a ghost was pulling me in there. It wasn't good. -It was pulling you right in...
Drawing me in. I didn’t get it. So I told my father about it: “Luckily you didn’t go in or else you wouldn’t have come out again!” There are times when I see lobsters, for example, in a crevice. If this is a lobster, when you put your hand in it's open like this, right? But if you're lucky enough to stick it in like that then when you grab it with your hand, it’ll be bigger, won’t it? You won’t be able to get it out. It’ll be stuck.
You don’t want to grab them. You really want to pull it out. That’s human nature. Makafit i fakeloh You'll get stuck in the crevice and then it’s all over for you. Oral history teaches us a lot. The truth is you always need to judge for yourself.
But I've always felt humankind really needs to respect nature. Don’t ever assume that you completely understand it. When you enter the sea don’t assume that you know everything about it. Be more humble. Every time you get in the water there are new things to learn.
What's the significance of the sea? How does the sea inspire you? I believe the sea has taken too many of us. To me, sometimes the sea looks gentle and beautiful but the sea can take you easily. And for me I see getting taken by the sea as a very honorable and noble thing.
The sea doesn’t take just anyone. It always takes the most competent people. The sea will always take the best and most popular in the village. Since you established this Eco-Art Village, you can share your experience with the artists in residence and other international artists. I have always felt that the existence of Eco-Art village is extremely important. Maybe in one or two decades we will be able to see even more people from even more places around the world and even more young people joining us.
Then our understanding of the land our respect for the land and issues of ocean protection can be led by you. All of us. It must have taken many years to slowly build up this property.
That’s true. When you started out here, right at the beginning, did you face any difficulties? Or were there any barriers? There were some. The government said the records were lost. In reality, these are our traditional lands. We farm the land.
We need to build houses. Just something simple to store our farm tools and things like that. But everything was restricted. The government put restrictions on our land, Indigenous people, and our way of life.
If Taiwan wants to ensure continued cultural preservation the restrictions should be appropriate. Given the chance to stand in front of the camera and speak to outsiders and people around the world, to express yourself, what is it you would like to say? And also to this stretch of ocean I hope that everyone can recognize the stories of this land you are walking on and to understand that each gust of wind carries a message. Every wave gives you energy Every flavor Really get to know this piece of land.
I hope that Taiwan's Indigenous people can get closer to nature, gain a deeper understanding of nature. In fact our culture is really beautiful, really very beautiful. There are so many things that need to be explored more deeply and understood. We must learn to respect the land getting back to the land means treasuring the land and respecting the land. It's getting back to our roots.
I hope that those roots will forever be firmly planted in this ground. Thank you for sharing today Thank you I'm so jealous! Just look at this place! Unrivalled sea views! Thankfully they haven’t sold the sea! They haven’t sold that! In 2024, the "Sea Society '' Residency Camp at Eco-Art Village invites both domestic and international artists to stay in the village. They will have a chance to experience the rhythms of the sea, observe the lives of the ocean people, and come together to think about how to care for the ocean. Iyo believes that artists can find new inspiration by stepping out of their comfort zones, and sharing them through the form of art.
And use their creations to express their love for the ocean. EN
2025-02-12 23:37
