A group of bold seafarers has made a historic journey from Palau to Taiwan, 1,200 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean. It's a voyage that mimics ancient migration routes and reconnects the people of the Pacific.
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00:00An enthusiastic welcome for a historic visit, as the crew of a traditional
00:08double-hulled voyaging canoe, the Alingano Maisu, arrives on Taiwan's east coast.
00:15After a 19-day sail from Palau, 1,200 nautical miles across the Pacific.
00:21Cesario Saralur and his 11 crew piloted the vessel with ancient know-how,
00:26using the wind for power and the stars for navigation.
00:30Well, being a voyager, this is how we survive.
00:35This is our big ocean that we need to take care of. This is how we bring life to different places.
00:44Like voyagers of the past, the crew lived off bananas, coconuts and dried fish on this first
00:49of its kind journey, with a vision to reconnect some of the oldest seafaring communities in the
00:57Pacific, including indigenous Taiwanese. It's along this coast, in the southeast of the country,
01:04where most of Taiwan's indigenous people live. Their communities have been here for millennia,
01:09long before settlers from Europe, Japan and China came to this island. And it's also widely believed
01:15that it's from these communities along this coast that the rest of the Pacific became populated,
01:20through thousands of years of migration by sea.
01:24Taiwan's indigenous people and Palauans still share elements of their language and culture.
01:28This landmark voyage described as a return by the people of Palau to the mother island.
01:33It's also about sharing and preserving ancient sailing and navigating techniques at risk of dying out.
01:48Joining other sailors from around the Pacific on board,
01:51Jiang Ye Hai Xia Man from Taiwan's Dao people who live on Orchid Island.
01:56Jiang Ye Xia Man from Taiwan's Dao people who live on Orchid Island.
02:07In the past, it was because of the United States
02:10that the knowledge of the United States stopped.
02:12Through the international knowledge of the United States,
02:15we started to build a new framework
02:17and build a new framework for Taiwan and the United States.
02:24But the Palau-Taiwan connection is under pressure.
02:27China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory,
02:30disapproves of Palau's official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
02:34A friendship that the two countries have committed to maintaining
02:38despite Beijing's objections.
02:41I think this voyage represents peace.
02:44It represents how people used to travel,
02:48how interconnected we are.
02:51You know, a lot of times we keep talking about how the oceans connect us.
02:56This is a demonstration of how that truly is.
02:59Alingano maisu means fallen breadfruit
03:03and, just its fruit that has fallen from the tree is available to everyone,
03:07this boat was built to share voyaging traditions
03:10across far-flung nations of the Pacific.
03:13Here, at the western edge of that ocean for the first time,
03:17the boat and its crew are spending more than a week
03:19visiting Taiwan's coastline communities,
03:22reviving forgotten connections
03:24and proving that the sea can be a bridge, not a barrier.
03:28Justin Wu and Rick Lowert in Taedong County for Taiwan Plus.
03:32And I'll see you next time.
03:33That's Taiwan Plus.
03:34Here all the Haitian culture.
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03:36Watch this video next time.
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03:38Bye everyone.
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