Thomas

Introduction

Atayal, born in Fuxin District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan Province in 1972. Graduated from graduate institute of the department of Chinese, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), specialized in indigenous literature. Deeply fond of education, organic farming, and more so, literary creation that is close to daily lives. His works were published in Shan Hai Cultural Magazine, Taiwan Literature Museum, Lihpao, Literature Taiwan Magazine, Ink Literary Publishing, Chiu Ko Publishing, Youth Literary, etc. He was awarded with sponsorship of National Culture and Arts Foundation, Bureau of Cultural Affairs of Kaohsiung City Government and Department of Cultural Affairs of Taipei City Government. He is now a farmer, a hunter, and the executive director of Taiwanese indigenous Pen.

Resident planning

Through Chinese writing program, a 40,000 words novel will bring the 1907 battle of pillow mountain (defense lines of frontier guards on Babo Takai) to life, which is a decisive battle for the Japanese army and Atayal people, and introduce the opening of the storyline. It depicts the Atayal people in different times and eras intertwined with a magic realism style, presenting the way they subsist and thrive in hardships. This historic novel tries to adopt Atayal people’s point of view, present the conflicts of Atayal culture with different eras. As reader follows the path of the main character, his cultural root will be revealed under historic experience, inference of tribal conflicts brought up by Japanese and Nationalist government, lethal skirmish within indigenous people, and judgement of Atayal ancestral spirit GAGA. The author envisions this as the Atayal from the last century, a moth craving for flame, as its life ends and another silver lining peer through the Babo Takai, another Atayal life begins.