Tribal elders and youth co-create living records in print

In the past few years, the aging population of Piyaway tribal village in Taoyuan's Fuxing Township has forced locals to face the fragility and impermanence of life. While grieving over the loss of tribal elders, it became painfully apparent how little was known about their lives. The village decided to bring tribal youth and elders together to create a picture book that would keep the life stories of tribal elders alive and ensure that the Atayal culture and spirit will be preserved for future generations to come.

The picture book idea may have originated from the pain of losing Piyaway tribal elders, but the project has helped to ignite new energy within the tribe and stimulated vibrant exchanges between the younger and older generations. The process of interaction hasn’t only created valuable stories to be passed on to future generations but also highlighted the powerful influence we can have on each other’s lives.

以下為中文對照

桃園市復興鄉比亞外部落，近年來面臨部落老化，有感於生命無常，在面對這樣的傷痛之餘，大家發現他們對於長者的生命故事無從感念，因此讓青銀攜手共創生命繪本，藉由青年與長者間的訪談互動，記錄長者的生命故事，傳承泰雅文化，延續老人家的生命精神。

生命繪本的出現，或許是源自比亞外部落難以承受的傷痛，但因為有了這項計畫，在部落碰撞出新的火花與能量，年輕世代與長輩之間有了新的交流，在這互動的過程中，留下的不只是故事的傳承，還有生命影響生命的力量。