One thing that surp
rised me about the Aboriginal Village was in how much it reminded me of other cultures, particularly some of the indigenous cultures of North America. It was more than a similarity in
the weavings, carvings and clay pots. Many of the tools were similar, and the baskets. There are also differences, particularly in the construction of housing, which I found fascinating. There is no question that I felt a strength from this culture (or mix of cultures) that is quite separate from the culture predominate to Taiwan. It was as if I had left the Chinese traditions at the entrance to the village and now was captivated by something far mor
e familiar and "earthy" or "of nature." By this I mean that in the aboriginal cultures here, it was common for people to be craftspeople.... to make the things they needed and to make them with great care and skill ...to be self sufficient in such a way that they had risen above "survival" into a culture (cultures) which created aesthetic tools, utilities, clothing, housing and other items. In my way of thinking, this repres
ents a culturally rich society that provides its people with the opportunity to learn skills and create, when this goes beyond what is needed for survival. This is not to say that the Chinese here in Taiwan do not create on a level which might be expected within all or most families, but it is my opinion that Chinese might possibly limit creativity to a chosen few. While education is almost a 24 hour a day pursuit, at least with the young, and some skills are widely learned, creativity is not valued or recognized as easily. The
ability to replicate what an ancient master has created centuries ago seems to be the goal in crafts and arts. An exception is in dance, which I have mentioned before in this blog.
rised me about the Aboriginal Village was in how much it reminded me of other cultures, particularly some of the indigenous cultures of North America. It was more than a similarity in
the weavings, carvings and clay pots. Many of the tools were similar, and the baskets. There are also differences, particularly in the construction of housing, which I found fascinating. There is no question that I felt a strength from this culture (or mix of cultures) that is quite separate from the culture predominate to Taiwan. It was as if I had left the Chinese traditions at the entrance to the village and now was captivated by something far mor
e familiar and "earthy" or "of nature." By this I mean that in the aboriginal cultures here, it was common for people to be craftspeople.... to make the things they needed and to make them with great care and skill ...to be self sufficient in such a way that they had risen above "survival" into a culture (cultures) which created aesthetic tools, utilities, clothing, housing and other items. In my way of thinking, this repres
ents a culturally rich society that provides its people with the opportunity to learn skills and create, when this goes beyond what is needed for survival. This is not to say that the Chinese here in Taiwan do not create on a level which might be expected within all or most families, but it is my opinion that Chinese might possibly limit creativity to a chosen few. While education is almost a 24 hour a day pursuit, at least with the young, and some skills are widely learned, creativity is not valued or recognized as easily. The
ability to replicate what an ancient master has created centuries ago seems to be the goal in crafts and arts. An exception is in dance, which I have mentioned before in this blog.
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