Indigenous Food Security & Taiwan

I am spending a month in Taiwan, living in an Indigenous Taiwanese community on the East Coast of Taiwan. There are several Indigenous tribes here, and I am currently still learning a great deal about them! The Ami People are the folks who are hosting myself and the other Canadian Artist traveling with me. We are staying at an old Sugar Cane factory, and the artists run the show here.

There are several artists who are working on their arts here, and they work in a collective manner, not only on their art works, but their food security as well. Lunch time brings everyone together and there is an array of foods that were gathered locally, and seasonally from this region.

One of the main foods here in this region is seafood! mmmmmm!!!! my personal fave! I have been feasting daily on fresh fish caught by the young Indigenous fellas, nightly! The fishing is Extreme! the waves come crashing onto the shore, at like 50-70 mph! and there are some huge rocks which create a break water for the waves to be less of a concern, however, watching the young lads wading through the water in the moonlight the other night, amde me very appreciative of what i was feasting on daily!

The waves, although they are controlled by the rocks somewhat, are still very intense, and it seems very dangerous for these young guys to be out there, especially in the dark, despite the moonlight being there to offer some guidance! I felt their disappointment when there were no fish in their nets that night!

The wife of the artist who is supporting our stay here, said that the moonlight tends to decrease their chances of catching fish, cuz the fish can see their predators easier. The moonlight helps the guys see where they are going, but deters them from catching the fish.... kind of a catch22 situation, huh?!

Anyway, the fact that these guys work a long, day creating their art, which they sell in a gallery on the site where they work, as well as maintain all the buildings here themselves, to me, is about as Autonomous as you can get!

it is very inspiring, coming from an Urban NDN POV. These artists are also able to collect the huge piles of wood that are still strewn across the shorelines up and down the East Coast from the recent typhoon that happened here this summer.

Their art supplies, their food, and their work space are all a very positive examples of what happens when Indigenous People are given the rights and freedoms to be who they are, and work towards self-sufficiency on their own terms.

I cannot imagine how incredible it would be to have these same freedoms and rights in Canada. Everytime Indigenous People are "given" rights, they are taken away, and so we are constantly being told to be self-sufficient, however, we are never given the rights and freedoms to be.

I would love to be able to go fishing daily, with no interference from any governing forms in Canada, but this is not my reality. My people have to justify every fish we catch, and where we caught it, and why we caught it. The fish here is often caught by local people, and sold to each other daily, for their personal consumption.

There are no questions asked by authorities as to why the fish were caught, how they were caught, and how much money was made in the sale of the fish. I see this as being a truly Autonomous Food Security System. Indigenous Food Sovereignty in its best form.

The foods that grow in the region are plenty as well. There are orchards of fruits that are grown for locals to consume, as well as for the whole island of Taiwan.

There are gardens growing in the cities, as well as throughout the countryside. People just grow stuff outside their doors in the cities, in small containers, as well as having small gardens outside their doors throughout the country.... like, everywhere!

The small restaurant/Karaoke bar, next to where i am staying, serves local fish and other seafood that is bought by local fishermen, as well as incredible Indigenous foods that are brought down from the mountains, picked by local Indigenous Peoples.

The food systems seem to be more autonomous than what i am used to , in the Vancouver region. The people here do not think about importing foods form other places, they have such a wealth of incredible foods here, that they just grow what they require, and purchase the rest form farms all around Taiwan.

I had no idea what to expect from my experiences here, and especially from the foods i would be eating upon my arrival. It has been really refreshing to find out that there is such a strong movement in the food security here in Taiwan. Local and sustainable practices are common terms, and there is a movement towards Permaculture here on the East Coast.

I will keep this blog posted with info, and when I can, pictures of the places I am visiting, and the food systems i get to see.