Amateur painter searches for his roots in tribal village

Prior to his 28th birthday, Wang Zi-wei (王子威) from Daniao Village in Taitung, had no tribal name, no tribal clothes, and knew absolutely nothing about his own Paiwan tribal culture. After facing an existential crisis, two years ago he moved back to Daniao Village with his wife and two daughters to get reacquainted with his childhood village and find an answer to the question “Who am I?”

Though Wang Zi-wei has always been fond of graffiti, he never thought that he would be the one to “brighten up his tribal village” through the painting of murals. Thanks to Wang Zi-wei’s dedication, dozens of peeling grey walls in the village been painted with colorful murals infused with Paiwan culture, dramatically improving the village landscape.

What’s more, the once strained relationship between Wang Zi-wei and his father has also significantly improved, and nowadays, Wang’s father shows appreciation for each and every one of his son’s murals. Returning home, Wang Zi-wei has not only gotten to know himself again and found an avenue of personal expression, he has also managed to win back the affection of his family.

Amateur painter searches for his roots in tribal village

URL：https://www.peopo.org/news/298333

(以下是中文對照)

素人畫家 部落尋根

照片

台東縣大鳥部落青年王子威，28歲以前，沒有族語名字，沒有一件族服，完全不懂自己排灣族的族群文化。兩年前，他帶著妻子與兩個女兒回到大鳥部落，打算從頭學習認識部落，尋找「我是誰？」的答案。王子威喜歡塗鴉，卻從來不知道自己可以是那位「讓部落亮起來」的壁畫家。現在，部落裡幾十面灰白、剝落的牆壁都由他操刀，變得五彩繽紛、充滿排灣色彩，大大改變了部落景觀。而王子威與父親緊繃的父子關係，也在王子威開始畫壁畫後有了紓緩。他畫的每幅畫，父親都會好好欣賞。回家，讓王子威認識了自己、展現了自己，還找回了親情。