On Tuesday last week (July 1, 2008) I had the good fortune of attending a workshop co-sponsored by the Taiwan government’s (Executive Yuan) Council of Indigenous Peoples and the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office . The event was a dialogue between internationally renowned New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera and Taiwanese aboriginal artists Badai (novelist), Sakinu Tepiq (戴明雄) (filmmaker), Walis Nogang (educator), Paelabang Danapan (scholar), and Dadelavan Ibau (ethnomusicologist). The wor kshop was important for wh at was said, as the speakers addressed a number of issues th at are of relevance to indigenous peoples and com munities around the world. Topics of equity, excellence and justice for indigenous peoples were brou ght to the foreground. In his opening remarks, Ihimaera set the focus upon the necess ity of indigenous people coming together to discuss and even deal with local issues that are disturbingly global in scope. These crises—which include the loss of cult
The sometimes lunatic and often unreasonable rants of an American "big nose" living in Taiwan.
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