Exhibition|Searching for the home of Erythrina – where is the Pingpu ethnic group?
Taiwan’s native Erythrina marks the daily traces of the Pingpu people. The tribesmen often use the branches of Erythrina as materials for living tools. When the whole tree blooms with fiery red flowers, it announces the time for the tribe to start farming. The eryngium tree, which is closely related to the lives of the Hepingpu people, can be said to be the spiritual symbol of the people. Today in Beitou, there are also a few old Erythrina trees that can be seen. For example, there are old Erythrina trees next to Wenzhou Museum and Beitou Elementary School. The Erythrina trees here represent the history and contemporary existence of the Pingpu ethnic group in Beitou.
In the past, the Pingpu ethnic group was gradually separated due to colonial rule. The social movements and cultural revitalization from the 1980s to the present have allowed us in Beitou to reflect on the historical traces of the Ketagalan ethnic group in Beitou. Since the end of last year, this project has tried to arouse local attention to the issues of the Pingpu ethnic group in Beitou through discussions and workshops. In addition to continuing and going deeper into the local area, this project also invites artists, local people and scholars who care about this to participate in this project. It is hoped that these processes will ferment and allow participants to feel the connection between this land where they were born and raised. culture.