Taipei, March 24 (CNA) A month-long photography exhibition in Taipei will pay tribute to Canadian aborigines who have transformed their traditional way of life in a modern world, and also to inspire aborigines in Taiwan.
The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) is organizing "The Mi'kmaw People of Newfoundland: A Celebration, " an exhibition of 89 Mi'kmaw portraits, at the National Museum of History from March 24-April 30.
The Mi'kmaw Indians (aka Micmac, from a word in their language for "my friends") have been living in Newfoundland, off the east coast of Canada, for generations. They have maintained a traditional way of life while struggling continuously to adapt to a changing world.
One highlight of the exhibition is the six earliest known photographic portraits of the Mi'kmaw, taken on the west coast of Newfoundland in 1859 by a French naval officer, Paul-Emile Miot.
The exhibition shows people that "some of the things the Mi'kmaw people have learned can be shared throughout the world, " said Edward Thompkins, an independent archivist and curator for the event.
"Like the Mi'kmaw Indians, aborigines in Taiwan have been facing constant challenges because of changing times. Hopefully we can learn something from the Mi'kmaw experience, " said Shia Ching-tsun, secretary-general of the Council of Indigenous Peoples.
Canada and Taiwan have enjoyed constructive relations on aboriginal affairs since a memorandum of understanding was signed in 1998, CTOT Executive Director Gordon Houlden said, adding that both sides have been working together on various events such as film festivals, exhibitions and high-level official visits.