Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines
Taking up where the small exhibition at the Taiwan Museum leaves off, this handsome facility attempts to trace not only the origins of Taiwan's native peoples, but also to explore the issues that confront these tribes today. Some of the exhibits also touch on what the future could hold for the aborigines; sadly, the outlook is bleak. More and more aborigines are losing their native languages and cultural norms, turning to alcohol, and abandoning their communities to find work in cities (they’re often funneled into the most dangerous jobs, too, a bit like the Native Americans who built skyscrapers in the 1930s). The museum tells their stories with well-produced videos and an extensive collection of artifacts, which range from ceremonial pots (which some of the aboriginal tribes believed held the souls of their ancestors), to nose flutes and elaborate headdresses. The museum is near to the Palace Museum, so many visitors combine them in a day of museum-going (a combined ticket for the two is available for NT $250). Tip: Skip the 3-D movie unless you understand Mandarin (or really enjoy computer animation); unlike the films elsewhere at the museum, it’s not subtitled.
Taking up where the small exhibition at the Taiwan Museum leaves off, this handsome facility attempts to trace not only the origins of Taiwan's native peoples, but also to explore the issues that confront these tribes today. Some of the exhibits also touch on what the future could hold for the aborigines; sadly, the outlook is bleak. More and more aborigines are losing their native languages and cultural norms, turning to alcohol, and abandoning their communities to find work in cities (they’re often funneled into the most dangerous jobs, too, a bit like the Native Americans who built skyscrapers in the 1930s). The museum tells their stories with well-produced videos and an extensive collection of artifacts, which range from ceremonial pots (which some of the aboriginal tribes believed held the souls of their ancestors), to nose flutes and elaborate headdresses. The museum is near to the Palace Museum, so many visitors combine them in a day of museum-going (a combined ticket for the two is available for NT $250). Tip: Skip the 3-D movie unless you understand Mandarin (or really enjoy computer animation); unlike the films elsewhere at the museum, it’s not subtitled.
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