CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Tony Coolidge meets two Bunun women in Taitung County.

The ATAYAL Organization's centerpiece program for culture exchange is the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP), however the non-profit organization began its experience with Indigenous culture exchange programs after the founder met with tribal leaders at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in NYC in 2004. It is there that Tony Coolidge invited people to the first cultural exchange event that was ever organized by ATAYAL, the Indigenous Heritage Festival. He invited Taipei Multicultural Arts Group from Taiwan and Indigenous people from tribes around the USA and the world. The Seminole Tribe of Florida became a co-host to the Indigenous Taiwanese delegation when they invited them to perform at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. It was witnessing the emotional power and magic of the first meeting between tribes from halfway across the world that impressed upon our organization that Indigenous culture cannot be shared more powerfully than through personal contact. Since then, our organization has been involved in organizing or facilitating participation in culture exchange programs.

The projects supported by the Indigenous Bridges Program fall under three main categories: Cultural Exchange, Education and Media. These projects allow us to connect people around the world. If you have any questions or comments about the Culture Exchange projects we support, please contact us at this e-mail address.

Indigenous Bridges Three Pillars illustration

Culture is the Primary Pillar of our Indigenous Bridges Program

INDIGENOUS BRIDGES YOUTH AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

Our Tribal Journeys Indigenous Youth Exchange project evolved into a full program, which is more inclusive of different tribal groups. This program, the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP) has become our organization's flagship program. It is a youth-oriented culture exchange and leadership development program, bringing together elements of Indigenous identity and sustainable community development that respects Indigenous traditions and wisdom.

[More info on IBYAP]

TRIBAL JOURNEYS INDIGENOUS YOUTH EXCHANGE PROJECT

Since 2017, our organization has facilitated the visit of Taiwanese Indigenous people to take part in the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys with the Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest. A canoe family from the Nisqually Tribe has graciously hosted the Taiwanese delegation. During their visits, the delegation has experienced the canoe culture and the cultures of different host tribes. There are plans for the Native Americans sending a group to Taiwan in 2022 and making the mutual exchange between tribes a youth-oriented activity. This exchange is a case study of the Indigenous Bridges Program, offering our services and evaluating results produced between tribes.

Tribes Involved: USA (Nisqually, Puyallup, Lummi and more), Taiwan (Atayal, Tao)

[More info on our Tribal Journeys project]

TAPROOT INDIGENOUS YOUTH EXCHANGE PROJECT

In 2013, our organization created the first of a series of international cultural exchange projects between Austronesian tribes. Maori media students from Auckland, New Zealand were hosted in Taiwan, where they participated in several Indigenous exchange events, and learned more about the island's Austronesian culture and history. They were hosted by several Universities, where they explored Indigenous media cooperation. This ambitious international cultural exchange project gave us the experience and results that would lead to the development of the Indigenous Bridges Program.

Tribes Involved: New Zealand (Maori), Taiwan (Amis, Paiwan, Rukai, and more)

[More info on our Taproot project]

TULALIP TRIBES INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE

On September 7, 2013, Tony Coolidge, the founder of the ATAYAL organization brought a delegation from Hsinchu, Taiwan to the USA. Gary Smoke, Director of International Affairs organized the event with a leader of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington State, and he organized a few volunteers to assist in the exchange opportunity. The delegation had a brief visit with the Tulalip Police Department and toured the Tulalip Casino and the indigenous culture center.

Tribes Involved: Tulalip

[Photo Gallery]

INDIGENOUS HERITAGE FESTIVAL

The ATAYAL's first cultural exchange program, organized in 2004, was an ambitious one. The location was at an auditorium at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The goal was to invite the Central Florida community to meet Indigenous people from around the world. The guest list began with the Taipei Multicultural Arts Group to Orlando. This was a group of Indigenous artists and performers from Taiwan. There was Finhankra International from Ghana, and a performance troupe from Kenya. Our organization partnered with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, who invited the Taiwanese delegation to visit their tribal community in Hollywood, Florida. Witnessing how Indigenous people interacted as family members inspired our organization to support future cultural exchanges.

[More info on the 2004 Indigenous Heritage Festival | Photo Gallery]

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