“Tribal Village Parent-Child Growth Camp ~ Screening of Touring Films” Has Started!

To push the national parks and communities to jointly develop ecological tourism, in effect, to raise the modernization outlook of Tongli Tribal Community in Fushih Village, the Taroko Park Administration Office is cooperating with the Tongli Tribal Community Natural Ecology Self-Government Association in strength cultivation projects, which include Internet training in the community, parent-child growth camp at the tribal community level and recorded interviews of tribal village elders. Starting on September 8, activities are to take place monthly at Tongli Tribal Community Hall and Deluku Church.

On September 14, 2007, the Deluku Church with the blessing of Reverend Hu Yao-zhen saw the gathering of more than 40 residents from Datong and Dali communities to participate in the “Tribal Village Parent-Child Growth Camp ~ Touring Film Screening” event.

The film screened this time explored the life experiences of Paiwan tribal hunters, probing deeply the spirit of the indigenous people’s culture. Moreover, the film addressed the issue of respect of nature, emphasized environmental protection awareness and encouraged in-depth discussion and reflection on the conflicts between cultures and civilizations.
To stimulate discussions among the residents, the Taroko Park Administration Office offered prizes to respondents who answered film-related questions correctly. Questions asked included: The film’s main character belongs to which tribe? What is a flying squirrel school? What quote in the film did you like the most? What is the preservation concept of the hunters in the film? How can one be a modern hunter? While imparting knowledge under pleasant circumstances, the film also moved the residents to reflect deeply on environmental protection issues.

To advance the smooth operation of this cooperation project, the Taroko Park Administration Office first entered into discussions with three tribal community councils in Fushih Village. Leaders from Fushih Community Development Association in Sioulin Township, Hualien County; the Duluwan Deluku Tourism and Culture Industry Development Association; and the Tongli Tribal Village Natural Ecology Self-Government Association enthusiastically joined in. And with the assistance of the minister of the community church, the project finally took off in September. Film screenings were scheduled twice a month at the Deluku Church. The Taroko Park Administration Office was in charge of the film equipment, refreshments for the public, as well as prizes for the on-the-spot quiz and raffle draw. It was hoped that ecotourism, environmental protection and conservation, as well as the viewpoint on ethnic culture could be shared with residents through the film.

The cooperation of the Taroko Park Administration Office and the Fushih  Tribal Village Councils in the Tribal Village Parent-Child Growth Camp served only as the beginning of such activity. What took place in only one village this time will later spread to more villages. The Taroko Park Administration Office plans to reach out to the communities of Kele, Fushih and Sioulin, spreading more resources of the modern world in the hope of getting the national park and its surrounding communities to develop ecotourism together.


Source:Torako,2007-09-28
Re-edited by Taiwan News