Sustainability and Inheritance 

 

 

Apart from handicraft courses, the cultural health station has previously offered courses in the indigenous Amis language of the homeland. However, in recent years, the native language has gradually disappeared from the lives of tribal members, who now predominantly use Mandarin in their daily lives. The indigenous language is only seen on couplets hung outside tribal members' homes.

 

 

Consequently, with the decline of the native language, the willingness of tribal members to participate in language courses has significantly decreased, resulting in ineffective transmission of language and culture heritage.

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The aunties in the tribe state that they have already become accustomed to the people and things in the new tribal community and have fewer opportunities or motivations to return to their hometowns. Additionally, with most elderly family members passing away, even if they return to their hometowns, it is mainly for simple rituals such as worshiping ancestors, leading to a gradual fading of the connection with the original tribal village. Luckily, many traditional festivals and rituals from the homeland have not been lost but have been inherited by the Xizhou tribe since they migrated northward.

 

 

For example, the widely known Amis Harvest Festival is still regularly held in the Xizhou tribe, where tribal members gather in traditional ceremonial attire to celebrate the harvest and unite the community, passing on the traditions of the homeland. Next to the cultural health station stands a special "Ancestral Spirit Stone," symbolizing the will of the tribal ancestors, perpetuating their legacy to future generations, and many traditional ceremonies also take place in this sacred location.

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