THE HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION

Meeting Indigenous leaders at the 2004 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)

Although the ATAYAL Organization's core mission of Indigenous cultural preservation has remained the same, our activities and programs to achieve that mission have evolved. Below is a list of benchmarks in our organization's history, and each list item has been instrumental in developing the current structure of the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program.

• February 7, 2023 - The organization registers in Hawai'i to strengthen its connections to Native Hawai'ians and the Austronesian world.
• July 2019 - Tribal Journeys Exchange Project : Year 3 - Deputy Director Gary Smoke, Executive Director Tony Coolidge, and Cultural Ambassador for North America Chad Yen, led the third delegation of Indigenous Taiwanese to join the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys event in Washington State, Paddle To Lummi. The three deepened their relationships with tribal leaders from the Nisqually, Puyallup and Lummi Tribes. They started planning on the reciprocal Indigenous youth exchange trip to Taiwan and further discussed potential cooperation. This event is a precursor to our Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program.
• July 2018 - Tribal Journeys Exchange Project : Year 2 - Deputy Director Gary Smoke led the second delegation from the Tao Tribe of Taiwan's Orchid Island to join the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys event in Washington State, Power Paddle To Puyallup. Tony Coolidge and his family joined the event to get firsthand insight into the value of the interactions between Indigenous tribes. This event is precursor to the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program.
• May 15, 2019 - The organization registers in the State of Washington - The registers in Washington State to support its exchange activities there.
• May 30, 2018 - Dewey-Kincaid Taiwan Tour - On May 30, 2018, Native-American Filmmakers Myron Dewey and Pat Kincaid made a stop at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City, Taiwan as part of their Taiwan Tour. During the evening session, the University's Indigenous students were invited to attend the screening of a documentary film and ask the filmmakers questions. Chad Tse Chi Yeh, ATAYAL Organization's Cultural Ambassador for North America facilitated the Taiwan Tour for the Native American celebrities, and during this event, he also served as a translator.
• July 2017 - Tribal Journeys Exchange Project : Year 1 - Deputy Director Gary Smoke led the first delegation from the Tao Tribe of Taiwan's Orchid Island to join the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys event in Washington State. The Tao Tribe has a canoe culture, and the tribal delegation joined many Native American tribes from the Pacific Northwest who paddle canoes. This event launched our support of this annual cultural exchange groups, which is currently a precursor to our Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program.
• December 2013 - Taproot Indigenous Youth Exchange Project - When Tony Coolidge was invited to the screening of Voices in the Clouds at the Wairoa International Indigenous Film Festival in New Zealand in 2011, he discovered the Austronesian Indigenous culture. He decided that this important Indigenous group should be brought together, and he created the TapRoot International Cultural Exchange Program to bring Austronesian peoples together. The mission of TapRoot is to bring together Austronesian filmmakers from Hawaii, New Zealand, Taiwan and many other island nations to learn from each other and to celebrate the colorful culture that binds them together.
• September 7, 2013 - Tulalip Tribes International Exchange - Tony Coolidge, the founder of the ATAYAL organization, brought a delegation from Hsinchu, Taiwan to the USA. Gary Smoke, Director of International Affairs organized the event with a leader of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington State, and he organized a few volunteers to assist in the exchange opportunity. The delegation had a brief visit with the Tulalip Police Department and toured the Tulalip Casino and a new Tulalip Indigenous culture center.
• April 21, 2009 - Screening of Voices In The Clouds in Orlando, Florida - The organization co-produced this documentary film with Aaron Hosé and Chris Bremer and their film team. The first screening of Voices In The Clouds was in downtown Orlando, and it was well-received. It was accepted in film festivals around the world, and it won several prestigious awards, including the Best International Indigenous Film at the Nepal International Indigenous Film Festival as well as the top international award at the Wairoa International Indigenous Film Festival. The experience of producing the film made it clear to our organization that supporting Indigenous media would be an important part of our mission to share Indigenous culture to a wider audience.
• March 12, 2007 - Indigenous Art Exhibit in Winter Park, Florida - Aaron Hosé, Director of Voices In The Clouds, created a stunning exhibit of photographs of Taiwanese Indigenous people. He made them available for sale with proceeds going towards gifts for tribal elders that were the subjects of the documentary film.
• October 15, 2004 - Indigenous Heritage Festival in Orlando, Florida - The organization created a new international festival inviting Indigenous groups from around the world to share their culture with the local Orlando community. The event was hosted at the University of Central Florida. Visitors enjoyed the experience of meeting Indigenous groups in person and learning about the cultures in a more personal way. However, the most impactful experience coming from the event was seeing how the indigenous peoples, themselves, reponded to meeting other kindred spirits from around the world. The instant bonding and kinship we witnessed gave our organization the inspiration and insights to develop more cultural exchange projects moving forward.
• May 22, 2004 - United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) - Tony Coolidge attended the weeklong international event at the United Nations building in New York City in order to meet Indigenous leaders and invite them to participate in the Indigenous Heritage Festival. While he was there, he met members of a Taiwanese Indigenous youth organization, and joined them as an unofficial part of their group.
• July 14, 2003 - Screening of Time and Music in a Disappearing World - While working on the Voices in the Clouds documentary film, Aaron Hosé, Chris Bremer and Leticia Rieman co-produced the mini-doc, Time and Music in a Disappearing World. The short film was screened at the Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida along with another Indigenous film from Taiwan called the Atayal (Taroko) Trail, produced by MeGa Productions.
• March 12, 2001 - The organization is incorporated in the State of Florida - The small organization shares Taiwanese Indigenous culture at various cultural events around the State.