Pacific Islanders Retrace Taiwan Roots With Historic Sailing Voyage

TaiwanPlus News

A group of bold seafarers has made a historic journey from Palau to Taiwan, 1,200 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean. It's a voyage that mimics ancient migration routes and reconnects the people of the Pacific.

Transcript

00:00An enthusiastic welcome for a historic visit, as the crew of a traditional

00:08double-hulled voyaging canoe, the Alingano Maisu, arrives on Taiwan's east coast.

00:15After a 19-day sail from Palau, 1,200 nautical miles across the Pacific.

00:21Cesario Saralur and his 11 crew piloted the vessel with ancient know-how,

00:26using the wind for power and the stars for navigation.

00:30Well, being a voyager, this is how we survive.

00:35This is our big ocean that we need to take care of. This is how we bring life to different places.

00:44Like voyagers of the past, the crew lived off bananas, coconuts and dried fish on this first

00:49of its kind journey, with a vision to reconnect some of the oldest seafaring communities in the

00:57Pacific, including indigenous Taiwanese. It's along this coast, in the southeast of the country,

01:04where most of Taiwan's indigenous people live. Their communities have been here for millennia,

01:09long before settlers from Europe, Japan and China came to this island. And it's also widely believed

01:15that it's from these communities along this coast that the rest of the Pacific became populated,

01:20through thousands of years of migration by sea.

01:24Taiwan's indigenous people and Palauans still share elements of their language and culture.

01:28This landmark voyage described as a return by the people of Palau to the mother island.

01:33It's also about sharing and preserving ancient sailing and navigating techniques at risk of dying out.

01:48Joining other sailors from around the Pacific on board,

01:51Jiang Ye Hai Xia Man from Taiwan's Dao people who live on Orchid Island.

01:56Jiang Ye Xia Man from Taiwan's Dao people who live on Orchid Island.

02:07In the past, it was because of the United States

02:10that the knowledge of the United States stopped.

02:12Through the international knowledge of the United States,

02:15we started to build a new framework

02:17and build a new framework for Taiwan and the United States.

02:24But the Palau-Taiwan connection is under pressure.

02:27China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory,

02:30disapproves of Palau's official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

02:34A friendship that the two countries have committed to maintaining

02:38despite Beijing's objections.

02:41I think this voyage represents peace.

02:44It represents how people used to travel,

02:48how interconnected we are.

02:51You know, a lot of times we keep talking about how the oceans connect us.

02:56This is a demonstration of how that truly is.

02:59Alingano maisu means fallen breadfruit

03:03and, just its fruit that has fallen from the tree is available to everyone,

03:07this boat was built to share voyaging traditions

03:10across far-flung nations of the Pacific.

03:13Here, at the western edge of that ocean for the first time,

03:17the boat and its crew are spending more than a week

03:19visiting Taiwan's coastline communities,

03:22reviving forgotten connections

03:24and proving that the sea can be a bridge, not a barrier.

03:28Justin Wu and Rick Lowert in Taedong County for Taiwan Plus.

03:32And I'll see you next time.

03:33That's Taiwan Plus.

03:34Here all the Haitian culture.

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03:36Watch this video next time.

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03:38Bye everyone.

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