Giving back to the tribe
Origami of Taiwanese Indigenous People is the first book published about Taiwanese Aborigines’ origami. Featuring text in Chinese, English and Japanese, it introduces Taiwan’s 16 officially recognized tribes. It not only gets Aborigines to reflect upon their cherished cultural heritage, but also serves as an excellent way for foreigners to learn about Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.
Providing materials and step-by-step instructions, Origami of Taiwanese Indigenous People was published in conjunction with the launching of the Back to Home Project in 2017. A culturally creative product, the book is also a means of carrying the torch for a cultural legacy. It serves both as a versatile educational resource and as a means of giving back to the tribes.
Mental Image Studio has gained the trust of tribe members by paying them excellent wages to make value-added products. Meanwhile, the indigenous community colleges of New Taipei City, Taichung City and Taitung County have all put on courses to train teachers in these paper arts. So far more than 80 people, 70% of whom are Aborigines, have taken these classes.
These seed teachers have already led more than 500 origami-related activities at museums, libraries, schools and foundations, shining a spotlight on Aboriginal culture. With the assistance of the Forestry Bureau, they have even taught a series of classes in forest recreation areas, which were quite entertaining.
The Back to Home Project has garnered rave reviews, both in Taiwan and overseas. At computer expos, this DIY paper arts experience prompts exclamations of delight and surprise from foreign guests as they learn about a meaningful and representative part of Taiwan’s culture. The project was featured in the cultural curriculum promoted by the Mandarin Daily News, as well as at an exhibit in Australia, where the special characteristics of Taiwanese Aboriginal clothing were used to tell stories about lives in Taiwan. The stories particularly resonated with Amis immigrants there.
Taking a public-interest approach to its business, Mental Image Studio is finding door after door opening to new opportunities. Full of positive energy and sincerely working to pass down a cultural legacy, it is helping Taiwan’s Aborigines to lead happy, fulfilling lives.
Ray Lee and Coca Wu share an ideal: they hope to use paper to encapsulate the spirit and cultural inheritance of Taiwan’s Aborigines. (photo by Jimmy Lin)
Mental Image Studio is continuing to push its plan to cultivate “seed teachers,” who leverage traditional paper arts to convey the legacy of Taiwanese Aboriginal culture.
To create Mental Image Studio’s three-dimensional paper figures, one separately makes the headdress and bodies. The last step is to attach them together. (photos by Jimmy Lin)
To create Mental Image Studio’s three-dimensional paper figures, one separately makes the headdress and bodies. The last step is to attach them together. (photos by Jimmy Lin)
To create Mental Image Studio’s three-dimensional paper figures, one separately makes the headdress and bodies. The last step is to attach them together. (photos by Jimmy Lin)
The courses on the origami of Taiwanese Aborigines that the Mandarin Daily News offers as part of its international cultural curriculum have delighted the children of various nations.