Indigenous Peoples Museum and Museum of Prehistory Partner to Jointly Promote Indigenous Cultural Research and Exchange

(CNA, Taipei, by reporter Chang Hsiung-feng, May 18) The Preparatory Office for the National Museum of Indigenous Peoples and the National Museum of Prehistory held a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony today, reaching a consensus on cooperation in academic research, exhibition interpretation, educational promotion, and international exchange regarding Taiwan's indigenous peoples and Austronesian culture. The Preparatory Office stated in a press release that this signing ceremony differed from the usual, adopting the cultural spirit of Taiwan's indigenous peoples who sit together, speak equally, and share responsibility when discussing important matters. Representatives from both sides sat on the ground together and drank from a conjoined cup to symbolize their alliance, shared responsibility, and mutual support. Zepulj Sudaljamaw, Director of the Preparatory Office, stated that the Museum of Prehistory has long been a vital national cultural institution in Taiwan, preserving prehistoric, indigenous, and Austronesian cultures through research, collection, and educational promotion. The Preparatory Office, she said, is tasked with the important mission of constructing an indigenous-centric narrative, promoting cultural sovereignty, and practicing decolonial museology. Director of the Museum of Prehistory Tsai Cheng-liang pointed out that the enduring power of indigenous culture, flowing for millennia, brought the two institutions together on the path of cultural preservation and inheritance. He also used a token combining the patterns and blessings of traditional Paiwan and Rukai glass beads with contemporary utensils to symbolize that although the two museums are in different locations, they share the mission of continuing indigenous culture, preserving memory, and transmitting knowledge. The Preparatory Office stated that, based on this cooperation, it will continue to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with domestic and international museums, collection agencies, academic units, and indigenous communities. They will promote artifact and digital restitution, joint research, co-curation, and Austronesian cultural exchange, enabling the historical memory, cultural knowledge, and contemporary creativity of Taiwan's indigenous peoples to participate in international dialogue on an equal and reciprocal basis within the global museum network. The Preparatory Office mentioned that in the future, both parties will continue to cooperate on related research, exhibitions, educational promotions, and Austronesian cultural exchange events like the "Tattoo Wave Festival." They will work together to create a cultural network where ethnic knowledge can be seen, respected, and continuously passed down, further demonstrating the depth, subjectivity, and influence of Taiwan's indigenous culture on the international stage. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150518