On Tuesday, November 21st – The Center for International Indigenous Affairs at National Dong Hwa University’s College of Indigenous Studies welcomed our visiting faculty and second cohort of students from Western Sydney University（WSU）, Australia. This year’s delegation was also led by Professor Yi-Chen Lan（藍易振）, the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Global Development Provost, and other visiting faculty members including Fiona Towney（Wiradjuri）, the Director of the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education at WSU, Kylie Beerens（Kamilaroi）, Executive Assistant and Project Officer for the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Global Development, and Stacey Lu, the Senior Project Coordinator in the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Global Development and Provost Vietnam Campus at Western Sydney University.
Group photo with CIIA Director Bavaragh Dagalomai Jolan Hsieh and Professor Kerim Friedman after a formal orientation session and lecture about Indigenous Taiwan.
The National Dong Hwa University and Western Sydney University New Colombo Plan’s second cohort consisted of Indigenous students from the Wiradjuri mob, the Ngiyampaa mob, the Yorta Yorta mob, the Kamilaroi mob, the Biripi mob, the Dunghutti mob, and the Warrimay mob. This year’s students also come from various academic backgrounds and university concentrations -with some focusing on nursing, some pursuing paramedicine, and some majoring in social science and Indigenous studies. Their various disciplines allowed for some fascinating and engaging conversations during the Indigenous Knowledge Lecture Series curated by NDHU’s Center for International Indigenous Affairs.
Learning how to make traditional Truku banana rice at Dowmung community.
The students also had the opportunity to learn from different local community guides across three different Indigenous Peoples here in Taiwan. They learned about the importance of passing down oral histories and language revitalization at two Pangcah communities called Tafalong and Makota’ay. The students also learned about the significance of art and radical creativity from the Kavalan community PateRungan, and the Elug Art Corner located in the Truku community of Dowmung. This year’s lectures and excursions all revolved around and emphasized the central theme of Indigenous knowledge -with land as pedagogy and traditional Indigenous knowledge as ontological commitment.
WSU students sanding down local Taiwanese jade pieces during a jade crafting workshop.
The mission of the New Colombo Plan, when it was envisioned two years ago, was to create a space for exchange between Western Sydney University and its sister university National Dong Hwa University. The meticulous efforts of both NDHU’s Center for International Indigenous Affairs（CIIA）and WSU’s Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education and the work of Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor Yi-Chen Lan allowed for another year of successful collaboration. As CIIA Director Dr. Jolan Hsieh（謝若蘭, Siraya）had said last year, “The hopes and goal of this exchange is to pave the road for building a lasting connection and relationship between the Indigenous students of WSU and the Indigenous students at NDHU.” The mission and goal of the New Colombo Plan founded by the Australian government serves as a bridge connecting Australia and Taiwan – allowing for Indigeneity and relationality to travel.
WSU students and faculty members meet with CIS’s Indigenous Dance Troupe.
WSU’s visit to Tafalong’s Kakita’an led by CIIA Cultural Advisor Sifo Lakaw.
Group photo with WSU’s student and faculty and weavers from Lalaban studio at Kavalan Community PateRungan.
Going Backward into the Future the changes and reconstruction of the weaving culture of contemporary facial tattooed Indigenous groups (Patasan) taught by Dr. Shu-chuan Lai.
News source｜NDHU News
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