Tao

全美最有影響力的《紐約時報》日前選出了 2014 年必去的 52 的世界景點！這些必去景點除了第 1 名的南非開普頓、第 2 名紐西蘭基督城、第 3 名加州北海岸等國際知名景點外，我們美麗的福爾摩沙 －－ 台灣也在其中（是一定要的啦！），而且還是第 11 名喔！（狂賀～相關報導請看：〈52 Places to Go in 2014〉）……

All I could think while passing this desolate place is how can someone look at a place like Lanyu and think it would be a perfect place to dump nuclear waste?

As Shamam says, “they told us its safe and we responded, ‘if it’s that safe why don’t you put it next to your house?’”……All I could think while passing this desolate place is how can someone look at a place like Lanyu and think it would be a perfect place to dump nuclear waste?

As Shamam says, “they told us its safe and we responded, ‘if it’s that safe why don’t you put it next to your house?’”……

在今年，我因為達悟族生存權，而有機緣受邀參與民間的國家人權報告記者會，那是我第一次接觸西方的人權議題，當時有感而發地道出「原住民不需要法律，那是現代文明的遊戲規則……」

在蘭嶼達悟族的傳說裡，曾經有位漁人在大魚聚集的地方（Jikazezyongan），遇到一位面貌相像，語言相似的異國人，叫 Si-Vakag。

漁人問這位異國朋友，從他們所在到蘭嶼要多久，朋友說約 3 小時。

漁人再問他，從這裡到他的島要多久，Si-Vakag 回他，從這裡到他家所在的島要 5 個小時……Long says a folk tale among Tao people of Orchid Island of Taiwan:

Long time ago, a Tao fisherman, Si-Jiaong, encountered a stranger who yet looked so much alike his people and wielded a similar language in the middle of the ocean. The stranger was called Si-Vakag.

Si-Jiaong asked Si-Vakag, how long did it take from where they were sailing to Orchid Island. Si-Vakag said 3 hrs only.

Si-Jiaong asked again, how long did it take from where they were sailing back to Si-Vakag’s sland. Si-Vakag replied 5 hrs……

每到颱風季節，位於台東外海，台灣東南邊太平洋上的蘭嶼及島上的達悟族人往往是首當其衝，島上又無高山屏障（蘭嶼最高點僅 548 公尺）。在這樣的情形下，達悟人該怎麼防颱呢？Here comes typhoon again!

Orchid Island located off the southeastern coast of Taitung, Taiwan and the indigenous people living there, the Tao people, are often the first to be affected when typhoon hits every year. Lacking tall mountains to act as shield (the highest spot of the island is at 548m from sea level), how do the Taos take precaution against typhoon?