Indigenous Bridges - ATAYAL

11/26/2025

Wonderful group of ladies.

10/27/2025

The story of the Taiwanese indigenous delegation's participation in the 2025 Tribal Canoe Journeys as told by Director of the ATAYAL Organization, Gary Smoke. This includes the timeline of achievements, photos, and links to photo galleries. It was a meaningful, historic achievement for the Tao people of Orchid Island. Now, the future delegations of indigenous youth in Taiwan have a living, working symbol of Taiwan's indigenous culture to share with the Native American communities when they visit future Tribal Canoe Journeys.

This Tao Tatala is the first to be utilized on the water in America. Another year is in the books for the Pacific Northwest Tribal Canoe Jou...

06/09/2025

CALL FOR SUPPORT: Please donate today to help us take care of the Tao delegation from Orchid Island (Lanyu) when they come to participate in the Tribal Canoe Journeys in July 2025. Let's give them a memorable experience as they connect with thousands of Native Americans and allow them to share their culture, too. They will provide a ceremonial blessing for the Tao Tatala that will be at this year's event.

ATAYAL (Indigenous Bridges) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that builds connections between tribal peoples.

06/08/2025

As I prepare for the upcoming events of 2025, I can't help but to look back at 2024, where our organization "set the table" for the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program. In early February 2024, Tony Coolidge, founder of the ATAYAL Organization, hosted a tour of Wulai District of New Taipei City, the nearest indigenous village to the city of Taipei in Taiwan. The picturesque, mist-shrouded settlement is the birthplace and home of his deceased mother, who is of the Atayal tribe. It is here where the founder discovered his indigenous heritage and decided to create the non-profit organization, ATAYAL, to honor his mother and her ancestors and build bridges for indigenous people to connect their communities. Knowing that he would relocate his family back to the USA, Tony Coolidge organized this 'farewell' tour of Wulai to introduce the Atayal culture of his mother's hometown to special guests and supporters of the ATAYAL Organization. It was during this tour that the special guests discussed how to build more support and Austronesian connections for the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP). It was also the first discussion on how FestPAC Hawai'i would be an ideal opportunity to build bridges with Austronesian nations.

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