“Just doing what I can is enough” — The vitality in the hands of an Amis woman

Text and photos /“Observation Diary of Travel in Northern Taiwan”by Tsai Fuda

Before reading, please play the music at the end as background.

I’m just doing what I can still do, and that’s wonderful.

Early in the morning, with a light drizzle falling, I drove south along the East Coast and stopped near the coastal Amis tribe’s sea festival site. The host of Savalu Coast warmly welcomed me as I prepared to start a whole day of work with a hangover. After surveying the surroundings, I was drawn to a scene: an Ina (the Amis word for woman) was weaving inside a house, with threads neatly aligned in parallel on the loom.

“Ngaay ho！(Hello), what are you weaving?” I asked. The Ina replied, “I’m weaving a guitar strap. Anu is a very earnest child from the tribe. Shh, don’t tell him — he doesn’t know yet.” I quietly sat beside the Ina, completely captivated by her gentle hands and the rhythmic weaving. Back and forth, the loom seemed to breathe, and I could truly feel the vitality that belonged to it.

The air was thick with the scent of the sea, and the sound of waves echoed around my ears.

The Ina spoke, “What are you here for?” “I’m here to do what I’m supposed to do,” I replied, offering a warm smile in return. The Ina also curled her lips into a smile, and then, for perhaps several dozen seconds, time seemed to stop — the world was silent except for the rustling sound of the weaving.

“I’m also doing what I can still do!” The Ina’s voice was filled with contentment. I think this was the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.

The restlessness in my heart felt as if gently brushed away by tender hands, vanishing into thin air. Yes, doing what we can in front of us is enough. What more is there for us to worry about?

P.S.: Anu is an indigenous independent music singer. The elderly person in the MV and the one chanting the ancient tune at the beginning of the music are the Ina who is weaving.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJrB5D4y2Ek