Summary
- Truku and Amis Indigenous traditions showcased at George Town Festival 2026.
- Performance explores ancestral spirituality, nature, agriculture and community life.
- Truku traditions centre on the sacred “Hakaw Utux” or Rainbow Bridge.
- Amis performers bring the traditions of Makota’ay and its annual Ilisin festival to Penang.
- Programme forms part of the Festival’s Taiwan-Malaysia “Isle to Isle” cultural exchange.
GEORGE TOWN, August 10 — The ancestral traditions of Taiwan’s mountains and Pacific coast came together at George Town Festival 2026 through When Spirits Meet: The Rainbow Bridge and Ocean Chants.
A cultural production showcasing the distinctive heritage of the Truku and Amis Indigenous peoples of Hualien County. The performance creates a dialogue between two communities.
Whose traditions are deeply connected to their natural surroundings. For the Truku people, the mountains, ancestral teachings and “Hakaw Utux”, or Rainbow Bridge.
Form an important part of their spiritual worldview, with the bridge regarded as the final destination of departed souls.
Traditional Truku songs, dances and musical instruments, including the mouth harp, reflect generations of agricultural and hunting practices, ancestral rituals and the community’s relationship with the land.
From Taiwan’s Pacific coast, the Amis community of Makota’ay, located near the mouth of the Shiouguluan River, presented traditions shaped by the ocean, farming, fishing and a strong age-grade social system.
Central to Makota’ay culture is Ilisin, its annual festival held following the summer harvest. The sacred celebration expresses gratitude to ancestral spirits and the supreme deity Malataw.
While strengthening community bonds through ceremonies, songs and dances. The performance also featured cultural expressions associated with communal labour, the gathering of timber.
The importance of fire to village life and different stages of the Ilisin ritual cycle — from welcoming ancestral spirits to eventually sending them home.
Ahead of the performance, Indigenous artists also conducted a cultural and ritual dance workshop at Gurney Plaza, introducing participants to traditional clothing, music, everyday customs and songs from both communities.
When Spirits Meet: The Rainbow Bridge and Ocean Chants forms part of the Isle to Isle series, presented by George Town Festival in partnership.
With the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, strengthening cultural exchange between Taiwan and Penang through the living traditions of Indigenous communities.
