Page 20 - C.A.L.L. #26 - Winter 2005/2006
P. 20
Taiwan tribe adopts 'kibbutz' lifestyle
Taiwan News
When Mangus and his Atayal people settled on this After a group of
remote mountain in central Taiwan after a long Atayal leaders
journey some 400 years ago, they may not have visited Israel on
thought of it as a "Promised Land." Today, a fact-finding
however, 135 descendants of those early settlers trip early this
have founded the first Israeli-style kibbutz "socialist year to see how
commune" on the capitalist island in an effort to Israelis operate
protect their culture and tap the eco-tourist dollar. their kibbutz communities, the Smangus residents
Reputedly the most isolated community in Taiwan, decided to extend the communal lifestyle by
until recently the Smangus Atayal eked out a basic sharing their land deeds.
living from hunting and slash-and-burn agriculture "Now we feel the relationship among our people is
on the mountain plateau sited at an altitude of much closer than before," Batu Icyh says happily.
1,600 meters and surrounded by higher peaks. Smangus adults work Monday through Thursday,
Their way of life had seemed under threat as the with their jobs ranging from farming to
youth of the tribe abandoned the mountain, lured maintaining roads and cooking. They are also
by the opportunities in Taiwan's modern cities, required to spend Saturday and Sunday serving
where, however, they often found themselves tourists living in their chalets while Friday is the
treated as second-class citizens. day of rest.
Taiwan's 430,000 aborigines, whom In return, each adult receives a monthly salary of
anthropologists believe originally migrated from NT$10,000 from the communal Smangus coffers.
Malaysia or Indonesia, are among the island's most "I am able to save most of my monthly salary
deprived communities. Unemployment runs at 15 because it takes several hours to get to the nearest
percent among them and 48 percent survive on less towns and there are few places to spend our money
than NT$10,000 (US$300) a month, a third of the here," says Tqbil.
average wage, according to independent lawmaker Smangus also boasts a modern restaurant where
Kao Chin Su-mei. the residents are provided free meals. Nearly all
More recently, however, the other family expenses, such as
Atayal culture and a nearby grove medical bills and school fees, are
of a thousand ancient Formosan also met by the communal coffers.
cypress trees, known as "divine Unlike their parents, who had to
trees" in Chinese, have drawn walk several hours to attend the
increasing numbers of eco-tourists nearest school, Smangus children
to Smangus, an isolated village now take lessons in the village,
named after their ancestor. which is also connected to the
When the Smangus people built Internet.
their first tourist chalets about Three Smangus families, attracted
seven years ago, persistent by its eco-tourism success, have
squabbles arose over how to make returned, a trend residents would
the most of the new not have dreamed of until recently.
opportunities. Wu hopes the successes of the Smangus Atayal can
The disputes eventually prompted them to adopt a be duplicated among the rest of Taiwan's
commune-style way of life, modeled on the Israeli aboriginal communities, who are often
kibbutz, although the tribe is Christian: a sign at marginalized in this society. "The possibility cannot
the entrance of the village reads "Smangus is God's be ruled out. However, it may take time," Wu says.
Tribe." "The idea was inspired by the Bible" which "At least the other aboriginal tribes can learn
encourages Christians to share their property, something from Smangus."
Taqbil says.
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