Wulai Atayal Museum

Updates : 2023-08-30

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Introduction

The “Wulai Atayal Museum” is a special place for displaying the history, culture and customs of the Atayal tribe. The rich museum collection and excellent exhibitions enable visitors to learn more about the indigenous culture through easy-to-understand edutaining ways. More importantly, the museum offers free admission and two fixed-time guided tours (10:00 and 14:00). In this three-story museum, the origins, tradition and culture, customs, religions and beliefs, and festivities of Wulai and the Atayal tribes are explained in detail. On the first floor, artefacts regarding the origins, migration, and hunting and the natural ecology of Wulai are presented. On the second floor, the face tattoo culture is explained: face tattoo is an important ritual in Atayal culture, only men and women with hunting and weaving skills were qualified for face tattoo and marriage. On the third floor, the daily life implements and traditional crafts of the Atayal tribe are displayed. On holidays, visitors can watch the music and dance performances presented by local Atayal people, experience various DIY activities, including glass bead making, Atayal weaving and bracelet making.

Indigenous sculptures in sharp colors reveals two characteristics of Atayal women: face tattoo and weaving skills.

Weaving DIY activity (admission fees required): If you wish to try traditional Atayal weaving after seeing their works, the museum has a DIY course where professional instructors will teach you the basic Atayal weaving concepts. If you want to weave a piece for yourself, you can make an Atayal-styled scarf with little difficulty and bring it home as a souvenir!

Reminders

【Closing Days】The first Monday of the first week every month, Chinese New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year’s Day, Election Day, the days that the government announces to close business due to natural disasters, the official holidays announced by the center

How to Get There

Choose a transportation method based on your departure location.

Filming Location of Movie Seediq Bale: Tonghou River

Deep in Wulai is a secluded, protected river valley that tourists cannot enter without the necessary mountain entry permits. The valley is home to the Tonghou River, a water source for Taipei (Feitsui Reservoir) and one of the 10 best places in Taiwan to bird-watch.

Fuzhou Arts Riverside Park

Renovations turned an abandoned, overgrown plot of land beside the Dahan River into the Fuzhou manmade wetlands. The wetlands look like a small forest beside the river that could be described as a tiny piece of paradise growing in the middle of the city. They not only help clean polluted water but also foster a rich ecological environment.