Dialogue Among Tribes

2017 TIEFF

In 1987, as Taiwan had just lifted martial law, society and the economy were undergoing rapid transformation, and Indigenous peoples faced a wave of urban migration and labor relocation. An Amis man Du-Ya Pan Ming-fu, his childhood friend Duwake, a Kavalan artist, and Lai-Sa-Gai-Nu Tian Acheng in Xiangbi Village, have different but intertwined lives. Though the three men were compelled by economic hardship to leave their homes, they did not bow to fate nor choose to remain in the city forever. In an era when Indigenous peoples were overlooked, they each steadfastly confronted their identity and cultural values, forging life paths that intertwined in unique ways.