From October 14 to November 28, 2023, the Taiwan Studies Arts & Culture Program welcomes you to the Kuroshio Odyssey: Maritime Memories, Culture, and Landscapes—a serial program that focuses on the diverse Indigenous communities of eastern Taiwan and their stunning natural world. The program features a series of in-person displays, online exhibits, crafting workshops, film screenings, and scholarly roundtables across the UW-Seattle campus.
About Kuroshio Odyssey: Maritime Memories, Culture, and Landscapes
黑潮漫遊：海洋記憶・文化・地景
Kuroshio 黑潮, the Black Current, is a warm ocean stream flowing from the tropical to the arctic zones in the west Pacific, mainly passing through the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan. Since time immemorial, the Indigenous People in eastern Taiwan have fused their way of living with Kuroshio and have developed distinctive cultures.
This exhibition at the Burke Museum and the UW Tateuchi East Aisa Library showcases collections from multiple Indigenous communities in eastern Taiwan and includes an immersive element as visitors can use QR codes to access images and detailed information of the selected pieces. Additionally, two Indigenous Taiwanese guest curators working in Taiwan and New Zealand have selected collections from the online database of the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center to enrich the exhibition content. Visitors can further explore the research resources, curators’ notes, photography gallery, and in-person cultural exchange workshop at the Tateuchi East Asia Library.
Event lineup
Registrations are required for all the Kuroshio Odyssey events.
Please RSVP at https://bit.ly/KuroshioRSVP (spaces are limited; first come first served)
On the UW-Seattle campus
Oct 14 – Nov 28 | Kuroshio Odyssey Exhibit | Burke Museum; UW Tateuchi East Asia Library; Online
Oct 14 | 12 PM | Opening Ceremony (Invitation only) | UW wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House
Oct 14 | 3:30 PM–4:30 PM | Paiwan Tattoo Culture Introduction and Sticker Workshop | Burke Museum – Artist Studio
Oct 15 | 11:30 AM–1:30 PM | Paiwan / Rukai Beading Crafting Workshop | Burke Museum – Artist Studio
Oct 17 | 11:30 AM–1:30 PM | Paiwan / Rukai Beading Crafting Workshop (with an Introduction of Taiwan Indigenous Peoples) | Burke Museum – Artist Studio
Nov 9 | 2:00 PM–4:00 PM | Indigenous Cultures & Food Cultures Exchange with Sra Kacaw, Dumai Manaaki, Sayang Anang, and Uki Bauki | UW Tateuchi East Asia Library – Seminar Room
Nov 10 | 2:00 PM–5:00 PM | “巴拉冠誓約 (The Solemn Commitment to Palakuwan)” with Director Q&A | UW Allen Library Auditorium
Nov 12 | 2:00 PM–4:00 PM | “mutralun・與山 (Wisdom of the Mountains)” | UW Allen Library Auditorium
Online
Cancelled | Forum on the Land Right Issues of the Maritime Cultures – Taiwan Indigenous Peoples, Pacific Islanders, and Pacific Northwest Indigenous Peoples
Off campus
Oct 15 | 2:30 PM–4:30 PM | “Mainay．男人 (The Endurance to Become a Real Man)” | Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle
Meet the Curators (from left to right)
Zuzule Demalalade | Executive Officer and Curator of Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center, Council of Indigenous Peoples, from the Paiwan community, Taiwan.
“To recognize the traces of colonization and to be brave and confident in decolonizing.”
Margaret Yun-Pu Tu (Nikal Kabala’an) | UW Ph.D. Candidate in Law, from the Pangcah/Amis community, Taiwan.
“Storytelling. This is what I’d like to convey under the bedrock of Indigenous self-determination and decolonization.”
Jiun-Yu Liu | Archaeology curatorial associate at the Burke Museum, a Taiwanese Hakka.
“To explore the world and appreciate different cultures with awareness.”
Tien-Li Schneider | NZ Chartered Accountant, Coordinator for Taiwan Indigenous Cultural Workshop.
“Bridge-building to connect different cultures, fostering greater awareness and bringing about more understanding.”
Special thanks to Holly Barker (Curator for Oceanic & Asian Culture), Dominique Alhambra (Collections Manager), Gabbie Mangaser (Collections Assistant), and Emma Wong (Artist Studio Coordinator) at the Burke Museum.
Kuroshio Odyssey: Maritime Memories, Culture, and Landscapes is a collaborative effort between the Taiwan Studies Arts & Culture Program and its generous partners: Burke Museum; UW Tateuchi East Asia Library; UW Allen Library; UW Center for American Indian & Indigenous Studies; Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Taiwan Ministry of Culture; TECO-Seattle; The Taiwan Academy in LA; UW Taiwanese Graduate Student and Professional Association; Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center (Taiwan); Hualien County Government (Taiwan); Hualien County Indigenous Museum (Taiwan); Hualien County Association of the Promotion of Indigenous Affairs (Taiwan); Lala Ban–Hualien Kavalan Development Association (Taiwan).