The term “micawor” means “to turn over” in Pangcah. We turn over the soil to allow new life to sprout; we turn over glutinous rice in the mortar while it’s cooking so it will soften. Today, there is something like an impelling force that is turning over indigenous society in an effort to improve indigenous people’s environment of survival while opening up a window of dialogue with the world.
Thousands of years ago, the ocean, turning over with its waves, first brought the ancestors of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples here. These people, our people, developed a diversity of rich cultures. However, over the past four hundred years, we have suffered the loss of our land, culture, and language at the hands of different governing authorities. But in the 1980s, we began to stand up for our rights, and what ensued was a revival of our culture and art.
The indigenous artist Sakuliu Pavavalung once noted, “There is no word for “artist” in the Paiwan language, but there is a word used to describe one who has the ability to create: “pulima.” The word directly translates as ‘someone with many hands,’ or ‘someone who can do anything.’ Indigenous artists shoulder the responsibility of preserving our culture. Making our ethnic consciousness known to the public is our common statement. Sometime after 2000, the artist Rahic Talif posed this question: What is indigenous art? Artists began exploring this by means of critical thinking and dialogue with society, also becoming concerned about the natural environment and social engagement. For young artists who have grown up with the Internet, geopolitical borders no longer exist, and this has gradually contributed to our worldview and context. The turning over of art throughout different eras has not only served to present indigenous society to those outside our culture but has also turned on a guiding light for future direction.
The title of 2018 Pulima Festival, Micawor—Turning Over, refers to the sustained positive force that is turning everything over within the context of the dramatic changes of the times. Reforms in society are opening up new paths for the development of the human race, and art is gaining detailed insight into the meaning of human existence while helping to cultivate a new vision for the world.