Taipei: A delegation from the Kavalan Cultural Foundation of Hualien County has embarked on a significant journey to Canada to study over 40 Kavalan artifacts collected by Canadian missionary Dr. George Leslie Mackay in the 1880s. The foundation announced on Sunday that the trip aims to explore and document these historical objects.

According to Focus Taiwan, the delegation's visit will also include the filming of a documentary to highlight the artifacts. Mackay, known for his missionary work, visited Kavalan settlements across the Lanyang Plain, now part of Yilan County, during the 1880s. The Kavalan are one of Taiwan's 16 officially recognized Indigenous peoples. During his visits, Mackay collected various artifacts, such as banana-fiber textiles, ceremonial dresses, headdresses, belts, wrist ornaments, and weaving tools. These items were later donated to the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada.

The foundation noted that in 2000, the objects were identified as Kavalan cultural artifacts by the late Hu Chia-yu, an anthropology professor at National Taiwan University, during her research at the museum. Hu's findings and photographs were shared with the Xinshe Tribe Banana Silk Weaving Group in Hualien, forming a vital connection for the Kavalan people to rediscover their ancestral knowledge and cultural traditions. This work laid the foundation for the revival of the tribe's banana-fiber weaving craft.

The collection is seen as a rare glimpse into 19th-century Kavalan life, providing an important record of the tribe's history and culture. Foundation Chairman Bauki Angaw emphasized the significance of the trip, marking the first time Kavalan descendants have traveled to Canada to examine, document, and measure the long-dispersed artifacts. He expressed hope that the visit would reconnect the past with the present.

The seven-member Kavalan delegation, consisting of three weavers, two documentary filmmakers, a professor specializing in Indigenous studies, and a curator specializing in Indigenous exhibitions, will collaborate with researchers and specialists. They will analyze textile structures, weaving patterns, aesthetics, and techniques. The foundation expects these findings to aid in reviving traditional weaving techniques and enhancing cultural education programs.

The Kavalan, recognized as a distinct Indigenous group by Taiwan's government in 2002, have resided on the Lanyang Plain for centuries and are renowned for their banana-fiber weaving techniques, as noted by the Council of Indigenous Peoples.