The Red Leaf Dahdah Tribe: Development Status in Its Early Stages
Photos provided by / Hualien-Taitung Field Research Camp
Editor's note: The field research camp of the Hualien-Taitung Happiness Association draws members from all walks of life; some are veterans of related issues, while others are newcomers, yet their passion for the development of indigenous communities in Hualien and Taitung is the same. Pan Hsin-jung planned the camp's itinerary of community visits with the aim of understanding the needs and situations of different communities, and then, through everyone's collective brainstorming, working out the cooperative economy model best suited to Hualien and Taitung. For related coverage, see Hualien-Taitung Field Research Camp: Rolling Up Our Sleeves to Transform Life in the Rift Valley.
Dahdah Community is in Wanrong Township, Hualien County, on the left bank of the midstream of the Hongye River (Dahdah Creek), backed by the Central Mountain Range to the west and facing Ruisui Hot Spring to the east. There are two explanations for the name of Hongye Village (Hongye means "red leaf"): one is that it is a transliteration of what the Japanese called the village at the time, and the other is that every autumn and winter the leaves of the trees in the community turn red, cloaking the whole village in an elegant orange-red, which is how Dahdah Community got its name. This article records the experiences and discussions of the first group of participants during their visit to the community.
It All Begins with "Slow"
The "Slow" cafe in Dahdah Community is a must-stop for many tourists. Its owner, Brother Hui, Lin Jung-hui, together with his wife and daughter, created this cafe that blends European and community styles, and the first group's community experience was mostly discussed here.
The entrance to the Slow cafe. The gate is decorated with metal and wine bottles, designed by Brother Hui's daughter, Lin Chieh-wen.
Brother Hui, who once served as a city councilor, said upon hearing about the cooperative economy idea that it is still at the experimental stage and that he would pursue it if it proves feasible, because he has no confidence in government subsidies; indigenous people who took government subsidies in the past gradually became overly dependent on them. Now he hopes not to rely on subsidies and instead take the market economy route (for example, growing higher-value coffee), hoping the community can become self-reliant.
Brother Hui and the participants talking in the cafe
Bubu's Wardrobe
Brother Hui's daughter, Lin Chieh-wen, graduated from the Metalwork Group of the Department of Applied Arts at Fu Jen Catholic University, then went to the University of Barcelona in Spain for her master's degree. She combines community culture with metalwork art and is a moderately well-known artist. The design inside the "Slow" cafe is her work, radiating a community art flavor unlike any before.
For her graduation project she drew inspiration from the community, presenting metalwork pieces such as headdresses, earrings, brooches, and pipes. In Bubu's (grandmother's) wardrobe, Sister Chieh-wen discovered a distinctive feature of the Seediq people: cloth. Weaving has long been a cultural hallmark of the community, but it is now gradually being lost. Cloth is not only closely tied to community development, as a representation of family patterns, but also marks the passage of the eras. "For example, during the US aid period, Bubu would unravel sweaters and reweave them into larger bolts of cloth; looking closely, you find that the woven cloth ranges in material from hemp to wool yarn and, more recently, fluorescent colors, all evidence of a changing environment," said a member of the group.
Besides holding an annual metalwork exhibition in the community, Sister Chieh-wen also plans to use the royalties from an upcoming book to establish a foundation and set up a long-term classroom in the community to teach residents weaving, so that this traditional culture can be passed on.
The Hunters of Hongye
Another highlight of the group's community experience was joining the community hunters on a hunting trip. "Before going up the mountain, we had to toast two hunters, Brother Zhu and Brother Yang. The toast was kaoliang mixed with water plus a preserved plum; that makes the liquor very smooth and tasty."
The transport up the mountain was a small truck. "When we first got in, the hunters said we'd be there in a moment, and we drove like that for 40 minutes. We took a break, and they said we'd be there in just a moment again; that repeated for an hour and a half before we finally reached the destination," one participant said jokingly. "And when the truck suddenly wouldn't move, they even got out a jack and changed the tire themselves. Really impressive."
After reaching the mountain, a prayer ritual was needed before hunting. "The hunters call the ancestral spirits the Earth God; they pour liquor on the ground and light a fire, and the smoke is so thick it stings your eyes; we were practically crying our eyes out."
Then the participants followed the hunters up the mountain to cut wood and gather vegetables. At this time women cannot take part and must stay in the hunting lodge.
People Stay Where They Are Moved
This was the footnote the first group of participants gave to their proposal after two days of community experience. Dahdah itself has Sister Chieh-wen promoting handmade art, and if Dahdah's culture could be combined with its various industries, Dahdah could be shaped into a village with a story.
Take the stories behind the products, for example. "The corn necklace made in the community could be given a lovers' story; that symbolic meaning is appealing and it could be promoted as a Valentine's Day gift," one participant said by way of example. There are also the stories of various community facilities (such as the stilt houses), the stories inside homes, and so on, all of which can draw attention.
Various experience itineraries could also be paired with one another, priced at different levels to satisfy tourists with different needs. For example, farm-work experiences would be a lower-priced route; archery training, walking trails, and joining a hunter's itinerary as a series of experiences would be mid-priced; making metalwork art would be high-priced. This way the customer base is broadened, and visitors can fully experience the itineraries they want to join.
Suggestions and Feedback
Sister Hsiu-mei:
Proposing an art workshop requires high costs, equipment, and long-term planning, and you also need to think clearly about who the learners will be. The most common problem with craft workshops is that the training is not continuous; going from basic to intermediate takes about a year.
The direction of the products also needs to be clearly positioned. Usually art pieces are expensive and cannot be mass-produced; only merchandise can be mass-produced and sold. What matters for a good product is whether it is easy to use and whether the making is professional; otherwise it is hard to sustain. These are the issues Dahdah needs to pay attention to when proposing a workshop.
Da Wang:
This group raised a very good point, namely that "people's lives can be appealing." This is the era of the experience economy. Take the hunter itinerary you mentioned; if you think it through more carefully, it is very attractive. For example, after hunting you could go soak in the Hongye hot spring; wouldn't that be enjoyable? Surely many people would want to go. You could think in the direction of an experience camp. What is truly gratifying is that you experienced it yourselves, and you will come back in the future, because here you made friends and formed a relationship with the land.
Hualien-Taitung Field Research Camp: Rolling Up Our Sleeves to Transform Life in the Rift Valley