Siraya

So this is Khau-pi church, which is at the heart of the small community I am living in. It is a small, practical building in part of a church complex which includes a class room, offices, kitchen, Sunday School room, toilet and shower block and the Pastors house, in the central courtyard there is a large covered area with a large table surrounded by a bench wall which is used for meetings, community meals, and is the main base for the after school club which serves the local elementary school just the other side of the church grounds.
Most people travel to church either by minibus or by moped and there are about 130 church members (which doesn't include the children).
As well as Sunday worship the church has a variety of mid week activities from a volunteer group who meet on Mondays to maintain the church, visit the elderly and sick and generally do whatever needs doing, to prayer meetings and a series of Bible studies lead by a prominent Professor of New Testament Studies.




This should give you some idea of what the local area is like.
A group of local Siraya children took me on a walk in the area around their traditional village. It was hilly (very) and beautiful. The sign behind the children in the last picture is a tourist information sign welcoming you to the Siraya scenic area.

As I mentioned in my earlier blog the Siraya are an aboriginal people. Unlike other indigenous groups in Taiwan they are not recognised by the government. Today I met an elderly couple in their 80's. They live in quite an isolated part of the mountains in a traditionally built house made of a woven bamboo frame covered in mud. The wife is completely bedridden and her husband cares for her at home on his own. Their family have lived and worked the land here for at least 6 generations but it will not be passed on to their children when they die. This is because the government do not recognise their ownership of the land or even their house. The buildings are in need of repairs which they cannot make because technically they no longer own them and when they die the family will lose all rights to their small plot of land and their ancestral home.
The unfairness of it makes me angry but it also makes me extremely sad.
The church here is actively involved in the political and legal action to fight against such injustice on behalf of the local people even when it makes them unpopular. Just last year a campaign sucessfully managed to defeat a proposal to seize the land of 6 Siraya families for a redevelopment program.

localization

In every shop I have visited in Taiwan it is possible to buy Disney products.
In the towns and cities McDonalds abounds, and, as a westerner, I am constantly offered "Coke" to drink.
I don't as a rule drink Coke or eat McDonalds or want to buy Disney products (although I am grateful for the Starbucks in Taipei where I was able to order breakfast in English on my first morning there!) But, being here with the Siraya people and learning about their struggle to preserve their culture makes me wonder about the balance between globalization and local needs...

Today I visited the Theological training college in Tainan where a a theologian Shoki Coe first coined the phrase "Contextual Theology". It is a way of thinking about the relationship between faith and culture and, put simply, it means that we need to think of God from the context of our own life, our culture, our context; to ask ourselves the question "what does it mean to be a Christian in this place and at this time?" Only then can we work out what God is calling us to do and be.
As I think about what this means for me and for the church here in Khau-pi, I wonder about the human drive to make things the same rather than celebrating the diversity of life that God created...

I don't claim to have any answers, but I wonder...


(PS 60 mosquito bites and counting - guess who didn't pack insect repellent? On the plus side it was 29 degrees C here today!)

Greetings from Taiwan

Greetings! Or perhaps I should say (with apologies for my appalling transliteration) Ni Hao!
I am here in at the Presbyterian church of Khau-pi, a small rural village outside of Tainan City in South Western Taiwan. I am staying here for 2 weeks with the Siraya people. The Siraya are an aboriginal tribal people (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraya_people) but they do not have protected status which means that their right to land language and culture are not recognised by the Taiwanese government. The church here is working to promote Sirayan culture and fighting for their recognition and protection. It is a stark reminder for me of the Bible's constant injunction for us to speak out for the poor and the marginalised. The Siraya are both, but they are a warm and generous people who have bent over backwards to welcome me into their community.

Most people speak no English here although many can understand a few common English words. And so far I can speak about 5 words of Taiwanese (which is distinct from the Mandarin Chinese spoken in Taipei where I was last week. They include "Yes", "thank you" "ok" and the all important "I'm full!" which has proved essential the opening question in any conversation seems not to be "How are you?" but "Have you eaten?" and a no is usually ignored!
I am amazed at how far you can get in a conversation with "hello" "Thank you", an apologetic smile and a lot of sign language!

I am fortunate to be staying with Rev Dr Li Hua-tiong and his wife Su-fen. Hau-tiong is the local minister here in Khau-pi and also a lecturer at the theological college in Tainan. As he speaks very good English we have been able to have some interesting conversations about Mission and Ministry here in Taiwan. As this was the theme of his Doctorate, and he has given me a copy of his book to read, This is a great head start for my assignment!

I hope to be able to post up some photos for you later