Taiwan tribe struggles to keep traditional culture
The four dozen men in loincloths stopped repeatedly to toss the new boat into the air as they carried it through their village to shore.
Then they launched it ceremoniously into the Pacific Ocean. It was the first launch of a Tao fishing boat in seven years.
For decades the Tao aborigines of Taiwan's Orchid Island have used colorful canoe-like boats to net flying fish in the warm waters of the Pacific. But now more and more Tao men are migrating to Taiwan's cities to look for work, leaving fewer to learn how to build the 23-foot boats. The tribe is also under siege from Taiwan's majority Chinese culture.
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Then they launched it ceremoniously into the Pacific Ocean. It was the first launch of a Tao fishing boat in seven years.
For decades the Tao aborigines of Taiwan's Orchid Island have used colorful canoe-like boats to net flying fish in the warm waters of the Pacific. But now more and more Tao men are migrating to Taiwan's cities to look for work, leaving fewer to learn how to build the 23-foot boats. The tribe is also under siege from Taiwan's majority Chinese culture.