Example: The Tao Classroom
A Cooperation between Chien-Ping Kuo, Johannes Kretz, Si Pehbowen and Wei-Ya Lin
The Tao Classroom initiative aims to recreate a learning and exchange platform similar to the traditional Tao singing event, Mikariyag (Lin 2011a, 2011b). Through this platform, people can exchange thoughts on the current issues facing Lanyu, as well as the forgotten histories of the island. Chien-Ping Kuo and Wei-Ya Lin began with two singing workshops in the summer of 2019, inviting elders who were willing to share their knowledge and songs (as reported by TITV). Since October 2019, our junior artistic researcher, Si Pehbowen, has taken over this initiative, which has encouraged her and her generation of Tao people to rethink their identities and the role of traditional practices and culture in their daily lives. Some young Tao regularly discuss these topics and invite elders to share songs or traditional knowledge during their monthly Tao Classroom meetings.
· When did the Tao people stop using their familiar ways of passing down the island’s history?
· When did the Tao people start to only learn about Lanyu through the writings of non-Tao people?
In th In the past, before the introduction of television, Tao people – men and women, young and old – enjoyed gathering after dinner to chat and sing. The most well-known tradition is perhaps the Mikariyag (‘the Hand-Clapping Singing Party’), which took place during the summer beautiful-moon (‘yapiya vean’) season. For young singles, this was an opportunity to find partners and bond with peers by creating poems and songs. At the same time, they were also learning traditional songs that they were expected to master throughout their lives. This Hand-Clapping Singing Party functioned much like a modern college, where people could build relationships while learning.
Hand-clapping songs primarily recount the histories of the villages and the island – stories that are not taught by schoolteachers. The Tao Classroom seeks to revive this form of learning and exchange, much like the formal Mikariyag, by inviting elders who are willing to share their knowledge. Additionally, the platform allows for the exchange of thoughts on the current issues facing Lanyu. Most importantly, it focuses on the forgotten stories that have disappeared due to the decline in traditional singing practices.
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