Fieldnote_0329_Naluwan_Charmaine

When we first arrived at the Naluwan tribe in Hsinchu, we were just in time to join in with the elderly of the tribe, at what seemed their morning exercise. They played various stretches on the big screen and all the elderly participated actively in it. Standing at the back of the room and moving along with them, while watching them doing the moves together was a beautiful scene to witness.

We were then introduced to the elderly and paired together with the elders of our assigned families. I would never forget how welcoming they were at our first meetings. Even though it was a little awkward at the start but they were very welcoming and very willing to share as much as we asked questions. When we asked them to sing a song for us, both of the elders I spoke to all sang for us, and it was very lovely. We touched also on many topics in pursuit of getting to know them, including getting to know their tribal names which sounded really cute.

One memorable story shared was how one of the elder lady recounted as she first moved from Taitung to Hsinchu. She drove the motorbike while carrying her child on the back without wearing any helmet to find raw materials to build her house with her husband. It made me realised not only how great motherly love is, but also the various hardships faced by the tribal members when they first moved here.  

Another memorable moment was during the mass sharing, whereby all the elders sang a tribal song together, and the resounding harmony traveled around the room like a pleasant melody.

Lastly, we ended the mass sharing with a group tribal dance at the front of the room. The team from NYCU joined along as the tribal members sang and danced to their tribal song, forming a big circle and we went round and round doing the dance together. This moment was the most memorable one for me that morning, as it really displayed the warmth and enthusiasm that exist within the tribe itself.