Following the Patakos ritual performed by the Amis chief and tribal warriors, Hualien County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) announced the launch of the 2024 Pacific Austronesian Joint Harvest Festival in the concourse of the Taipei Main Station on Tuesday.
The festival will be held from July 19 to 21 at the Hualien Baseball Stadium and showcase performances by Taiwan’s 16 indigenous peoples. In recognition of the cultural connections between Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and the larger Austronesian communities, the organizers have also invited performers from Hawaii’s Kamehameha Schools to join the celebration this year.
In her remarks, Hsu says the indigenous peoples of Hualien have stood the test of time in passing down their traditions, making the region a living museum of Taiwan’s indigenous cultures.
Hsu stated that Taiwan is the origin of the Austronesian peoples, and emphasized that the ancestors of Taiwan’s indigenous population had engaged in bartering with other parts of the world via the ocean thousands of years ago.
She says the organizers will continue to invite members of other Austronesian nations such as Madagascar, New Zealand (Aotearoa), and Tahiti to visit Taiwan and celebrate the Austronesian heritage together in the future.
Hualien is home to six indigenous peoples including Amis, Rukai, Tao, Bunun, and Truku. The Hualien County government has collaborated with more than 200 tribes to host the harvest festival since 1982, and 2024 marks the 42nd anniversary of the event.