The ocean connects islands, turning years of friendship into the starting point for a new stage of cooperation. Organized by the Hunter School Education Foundation with the guidance and support of the Taitung County Government, the 2026 mamau’a Art Festival: Memories Across the Ocean held a signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation and an Austronesian Cultural Forum on August 14 at the Just Arts House Small Theater. Cultural partners from Taiwan and Tahiti signed the MOU, bringing together government representatives, tribal leaders, and cultural practitioners to exchange ideas and open a new chapter in cross-island cooperation.
The partnership did not begin with the signing of a document. It is the result of years of exchanges across the ocean, built through mutual visits, companionship, cultural sharing, and collaborative practice. Based on this existing trust, the MOU looks ahead to continued cooperation in cultural education, traditional knowledge, artistic collaboration, youth exchange, and ocean culture, bringing these connections further into communities, education, and everyday life.
In recent years, Taitung has promoted a policy positioning the county as a homeland and cultural center of Austronesian culture, with the goal of building long-term, equal, and sustainable partnerships. Taitung and Tahiti share many points of connection through language, navigation, crafts, songs, family ties, and relationships with the land. With mutual respect for each culture’s own identity, these similarities provide a foundation for dialogue and shared learning.
The Taitung County Government said it took part in the signing as a supporter and witness. It will continue to provide venues, administrative coordination, and public support so that trust built through community partnerships can continue to grow and develop into concrete action, helping the next generation learn about one another and carry their cultures forward.
In addition to the MOU signing and gift exchange, the event also featured the “Women Are Amazing!” Austronesian Cultural Forum. Tina, former foreign minister of Palau, and Tahitian cultural practitioner Hinano discussed culture, traditional knowledge, and local governance, highlighting the important role women play in island societies in connecting family, land, culture, and public affairs.
