Taiwan’s National Indigenous Peoples’ Museum office signs MOU with Ainu Foundation in Hokkaido

By Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNA

The Preparatory Office of the National Museum of Indigenous Peoples on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to deepen cooperation with the Foundation for Ainu Culture in Hokkaido, Japan.

The office sent representatives to Hokkaido from Thursday until tomorrow for cultural exchanges.

The memorandum aims to deepen the two sides’ long-standing partnership and expand cooperation between museums and cultural institutions in Japan and Taiwan.

Photo courtesy of the Preparatory Office of the National Museum of Indigenous Peoples

The National Museum of Indigenous Peoples, which is to be constructed north of Kaohsiung’s Chengcing Lake (澄清湖), is expected to open in 2032 as the first national-level museum dedicated to Indigenous cultures in Taiwan.

The preparatory office said today in a news release that the MOU is significant for Taiwan’s Indigenous community and symbolizes a new stage in international cultural exchanges.

The memorandum would expand collaboration from mutual visits, performances and cultural promotion into museum expertise, collections research, joint curation and knowledge sharing, it said.

The Foundation for Ainu Culture operates Upopoy in Hokkaido, a cultural park home to the National Ainu Museum and other facilities showcasing the culture of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of northern Japan.

The Council of Indigenous Peoples and its affiliated agencies have maintained exchanges with Hokkaido since 2013 through cultural performances, craft workshops, museum visits, professional forums and discussions on cooperation, the office said.

The MOU would serve as the basis to expand the museum’s network of partnerships with museums and cultural institutions in Japan while advancing research, interpretation, exhibition and public access to Taiwan’s Indigenous cultural heritage, it added.

Moreover, a cultural exchange event yesterday used music and dance performances, cultural displays, craft workshops, traditional clothing experiences and interactive question-and-answer sessions to introduce audiences from Japan and across the world to the rich diversity of Taiwan’s Indigenous cultures, it said.

The memorandum would also help to ensure that collaboration is grounded in Indigenous perspectives and that Indigenous communities are active agents in knowledge production, cultural interpretation and international dialogue, National Museum of Indigenous Peoples Director Zepulj Sudaljamaw (謝美蘭) said.