Taiwan Church News
3363 Edition
August 8 – 14, 2016
Headline News
Tangidrakakalane! Churches Of Aboriginal Rukai Pledge To Stand Up And Go Beyond Morakot Devastation
Reported by Chen Yi-fan from Ping-tung
“Now, it is time to harvest millet and taro!”, passionately exclaimed by Rev. Danubak, who is the Moderator of PCT’s Rukai Presbytery, ” Since the words as Tangidrakakalane, in our Rukai language, means to stand up and act, let us work together to become the blessings of big Ping-tung area!”. These words are delivered at a commemorative service for the victims of Morakot Typhoon Devastation in 2009, held at Yung Ta Institute of Technology and Commerce and organized by an united association of Rukai Christian churches including Catholics, Seventh-day Adventist, Methodist and PCT on 8 August.
Rev. Chen Song-deh, general secretary of Rukai Presbytery, expresses that this commemorative service is the first time that the Aboriginal Rukai people step out of their devastated tribal villages to contact the outside world. “Seven years have passed since Morakot disaster, but now it is time to figure out where should we head for? what kind of life we want?”, Rev. Chen challenged the audience.
After the commemorative service, a press conference is opened next and Yung Ta Institute of Technology and Commerce is formally declared to become a “Rukai Culture Theme Park”. In a near future, not only the aboriginal produces like coffee bean, millet and canjanus canjan could be purchased from this park, some agricultural R&D centers, produce marketing units and indigenous hunting area could be established to promote the aboriginal Rukai culture.
Missionary David Nedd, the key negotiator behind the transformation of Yung Ta Institute into a Rukai cultural park and himself also an aborigine – Arawak – from Canada, affirms that the aboriginal Rukai culture is a precious treasure waiting to be explored further. Missionary Nedd also urges Rukai people to stand up from their own land first in order to reach transitional justice, though temporary support and resources from the government are very appreciated indeed.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
Photos by Chen Yi-fan
