Indigenous Village Travel
Michella Jade Weng, Presenter:
You don't necessarily
need a car when you're
traveling to Hualien.
Today, we grabbed my bicycle,
hopped on a train and
rode all the way to Ruisui.
Now we're headed for Chimei
Village to experience
the traditional way of
life of the Amis people.
This
is Chimei Village,
right by Siougulan
River, and this is
Calaw, our guide.
Calaw,
Guide:
Let's go down to the
riverbed and lay some
shrimp traps and pull
some of them up.
Wow,
simply walking is
an interesting experience.
We're so used to stepping
on smooth asphalt
and concrete that
finding solid footing
on these stones and
pebbles is quite challenging
and fun.
Let's
go over there.
Here. The claws are
this big. Grab it
by the head, or it'll
pinch you.
With
shrimp in hand, it's
time to head back
to camp...right?
Calaw,
Guide:
What are you looking
for?
What am I looking
for? Maifan stones.
To make stone hot
pots.
You're going to make
hotpots with these?
Yup. Heat them 'til
they're red hot and
put them in water.
Ah,
so we're using stones
to heat the water.
Now for the vessel
to cook everything
in...
That's
right, we're using
betelnut tree bark
to make our pot.
Oh
no! It's wasting my
soup!
Michella
Jade Weng, Presenter:
Hot hot hot hot hot!
I'm gonna eat it.
Hm...
How does fresh shrimp
taste?
Fresh shrimp tastes
good!
That's right.
Calaw,
Guide:
We call Chimei "Kiwit."
This plant is also
called "kiwit."
When our ancestors
came here, it was
growing all over the
village, so they named
this place after it.
They used to strip
all the leaves and
use it to string together
bugs.
Vines
are an important part
of Kiwit life. For
example the flooring
in the traditional
home is made from
vines.
This
is our traditional
home. We rebuilt this
six years ago to let
young people know
how to build houses
like this. Some of
them have never even
seen one before.
Michella
Jade Weng:
Before we came here,
our impression was
that indigenous culture
travels were only
about singing, dancing
and bringing home
souvenirs of millet
liquor and glutinous
rice, but this experience
has been really different,
and eye opening too.
