Xiao Qiang
A Night after the Tribe meeting, hunter Xiao Qiang invited us to night hunt, so we followed Xiao Qiang into the old hunting trail. There were only lights from the flashing stars and the light on Xiao Qiang’s head that was leading our way in the woods. The night in the woods was more quiet and mysterious, other than the sounds of our footsteps there were also sound of animal squeaking. There were a lot of flying squirrels in the woods, if we didn’t look close enough we wouldn’t be able to tell if it was the star flashing or the flying squirrel’s eye that was flashing. The hunters lives together with this mountain, so they wouldn’t take more than they need. The exciting night hunting trip, taught us the most traditional way of living the Atayal life.
Guide Rimuy
Rimuy is the main travel guide in the Fu-Shan area, she designs most of the itinerary of the trips for the visitors to learn more about the Atayal culture. The children from the Fu-Shan area begins to work part time when they are in middle school, and Rimuy was no exception. Rimuy was enrolled in Donghua University in Hualien, so she was hoping to find a stable job to earn money to pay for her tuition. Rimuy grew up wanting to be a nurse, because there were no clinics or any medical resources in the tribe. Rimuy had witness her grandfather died because of the long distance drive from the Fu-Shan to the hospital, because of this Rimuy studied very hard and try to get in a good medical school. But God played a great joke on her, the year when she was 15, her left eye was hit by fireworks and after two surgery she still lost her left eyesight. Rimuy wasn’t knocked out after this incident, instead she focus on her work as a tour guide and hope to pass on and spread the great Atayal culture.
Guide Vadu
Vadu lost his parents when he was young, but he never thought of himself as a kid without parent’s love. Vadu is also a hunter, he learned all his hunting skills from his grandma. Vadu is a water person, he not only has license for canoe, but also many other diving licenses. In high school, Vadu work on weekends to pay for his tuition, so he doesn’t really meet his grandparents much. When he heard that he could work in the tribe while taking care of his grandparents he quit his job at the restaurant, and focus on his job as a tour guide. Vadu invites everyone to come to Fu-Shan and experience the life that is different from the city.
Guide Xiao Wei
Xiao Wei grew up in the tribe, so he was determined to stay in the tribe and help. But in reality, there was little job opportunity in the tribe, so Xiao Wei still has to work part time outside the tribe for his wife and four children. After becoming the tour guide, people saw the determination and his pride in the Atayal culture. His wife also became the chef that cooks meals for the visitors and travelers.
