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The
Hua Tung (Hualien-Taitung) area, homeland of the
Amis people, is closed in by rows of mountains
and the ocean. Surrounded by these barriers, the
tribe has become rather dependent on their natural
neighbors as providers for their daily needs, developing
the knowledge and ability to live off of nature
by hunting and fishing. This has become an important
part of their culture that has been passed down
from generation to generation.
As
the world around them becomes more developed, the
convenient lifestyles of the modern world inevitably
invade and replace more traditional ways. Thus,
it's very rare nowadays to find someone like Liu
Lin Liang Fa, who still treasures and practices
the traditions of his ancestors.
Liu
Lin Liang Fa is well known for his bamboo creations.
He single-handedly designed and built a watchtower
using bamboo, earning him first prize at the National
Aborigine Arts and Crafts Contest. Some of his
other works include the 25 bamboo cupboards and
the three-floor-high bamboo watchtower that he
specially built last year for the Amis Cultural
Festival held in Cheng Gong Township in Taitung
County.
In
the Amis society, kinship is matrilineal. Male
spouses and children bear the family name from
the female spouse's side, thus the Liu has been
added in front of his original name, Lin Liang
Fa. This 67-year-old Aborigine is a man with a
bold personality and a well-built physique. He
has kept the lifestyle of his ancestors, living
independently off of the natural materials provided
by his environment. With his own skills he hunts
in the mountains for food and built his own shelter
out of bamboo.
In his earlier days, he spent most of his time learning traditional craft
making skills from his elders. After six or seven years of being a professional
fisherman at sea, he decided to retire. His restless personality now
leads him to spend most of his free time up in the mountains where he
takes these raw materials, combined with his natural talents, to create
traditional Amis-style crafts. His work ranges from delicately woven
bamboo containers to small wooden cabins, most being functional items
that he uses in his daily life. He also uses some leftover materials
to create a recycled sculptural piece that has the appearance of a motorcycle.
Although this caught a buyer's attention, the artist refused to sell
it because he considered it an experimental model with lots of room for
improvement.
Going
back to the traditional lifestyle of his ancestors,
his retired life has been fulfilling for him for
the most part. He keeps himself rather busy, spending
the majority of his time up in the mountains living
with nature. He often worries that his ancestors'
knowledge and skills will slowly become a mere
legend for the younger generations, and uses his
talents to make traditional Amis-style crafts as
an effort to prolong the original spirit of his
tribe.
See
that man wearing the straw hat? That would be Liu
Lin Liang Fa, an artist and exceptional member
of his tribe dedicated to maintaining the true
Amis spirit.
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