Taiwan in Time: When island neighbors became strangers - Taipei Times

The Tao people of Orchid Island once maintained frequent contact with the Ivatan of Batanes in the Philippines. That sea journey will be recreated this week with a plus-sized traditional canoe

By Han Cheung / Contributing reporter

June 15 to June 21According to legend, a giant from Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) named Si Mangangavang once built a large chinurikuran canoe capable of carrying 16 people. He set sail southward to the Batanes in the Philippines, where he traded with the local Ivatan people. One of the goods they coveted was cowhide, which the Tao people of Orchid Island used to make armor. Through continued trade, the Tao and Ivatan forged close ties, and Si Mangangavang became good friends with a Batanes giant named Si Vakag. This story, collected in a 1998 book by ethnologist Yu Guang-hong (余光弘) and local pastor Syapen Lamoran, is one of many tales that reflect the once-frequent interaction between Orchid Island and the Batanes.

The Tao people of Orchid Island push the hand-crafted, 20-person Ovayan chinurikuran canoe into the ocean during a ceremony on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation