TSAI Sheng-Da

TSAI Sheng-Da

The indigenous people of Taiwan, Takivatan Bunun, originally inhabited the area between 1000 and 2200 meters above sea level in the Central Mountain Range. Dependent on agriculture, hunting, and gathering for their livelihoods, they were forcibly displaced during the Japanese colonial era in the 1930s due to the government's relocation policies. This journey, which proved difficult to return from, had a profound and lasting impact on the culture of Takivatan Bunun.

Photographer Tsai Sheng-Da, having immersed himself in the Hualien region of Taiwan, lived alongside Takivatan Bunun, capturing and preserving their way of life and rituals. He also participated in the community's efforts to seek their cultural roots, aiming to return to the ancestral homelands that had disappeared from the map of Taiwan after centuries of habitation.

The exhibition presents a collection of images accumulated over the years, offering a glimpse into the traditions and values staunchly preserved by Takivatan Bunun.