A group of Maoris from the Ngati Manu tribe in New Zealand’s Karetu region is visiting Taiwan through Sept. 1 to explore their cultural roots, according to the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples.
 
The tour is sponsored by the CIP and arranged under the Hawaiki Project, an initiative of the Maori tribe aimed at fostering awareness of indigenous identity among their young generations as well as bolstering ties with culturally connected overseas communities along the Polynesian migration pathway from Taiwan to New Zealand.
 
Ten Maori teenagers are participating in the 11-day cultural exchange program. CIP is also arranging for 10 young members of Taiwan’s indigenous tribes to travel to New Zealand for next year’s Waitangi Day, the Southern Hemisphere country’s national day celebrated Feb. 6.
 
CIP Minister Icyang Parod said numerous studies have indicated that Taiwan’s indigenous tribes and the Maori people share a cultural, genetic and linguistic heritage. The Hawaiki Project is an excellent platform for uncovering connections between the Austronesian-speaking groups, he added.
 
Arapeta Hamilton, hereditary leader of the Ngati Manu tribe, thanked the minister and CIP officials for their support of the program. While the journey from New Zealand to the Maori’s ancestral land in Taiwan was long, the participants are enjoying every moment of their time in the country owing to its stunning natural beauty and the warm hospitality of its people, he said.
 
Major activities on the group’s itinerary include attending the annual harvest festival of the Amis tribe Aug. 24-25 in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County. The participants will also visit southern Taiwan to learn about the customs of the Paiwan tribe, as well as attend classes on traditional music and dance and hunting and weaving practices at the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center in Pingtung County.
 
Indigenous Malayo-Polynesian peoples have lived in Taiwan for millenniums. The latest CIP statistics revealed that the population of the Taiwan’s 16 officially recognized tribes stands at around 530,000, or 2.3 percent of the nation’s total of 23.5 million. (CPY-E)