{"id":2,"date":"2012-03-14T03:48:33","date_gmt":"2012-03-14T03:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com.vm-host.net\/wordpress\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2012-04-15T21:22:56","modified_gmt":"2012-04-15T21:22:56","slug":"sample-page","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/?page_id=2","title":{"rendered":"The Subjects"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tony<\/a>
\nTONY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tony Coolidge was born in Taipei, Taiwan, to an American soldier and a Taiwanese mother.\u00a0 At the age of 27, Tony travels back to Taiwan to reunite with his relatives after losing his mother to cancer.\u00a0 While in his home village of Wulai, Tony discovers he is a descendant of an indigenous tribe called the Atayal\u2014one of many indigenous Taiwanese cultures in danger of vanishing.<\/p>\n

As part of his \u201cnew mission\u201d to preserve the indigenous cultures of Taiwan, Tony creates an indigenous heritage festival featuring tribes from Southeast Asia, Africa, and the United States.\u00a0 As a result of his inspirational efforts with the festival, Tony was invited to \u201creturn home to gain a deeper connection\u201d to his roots.<\/p>\n

During his awe-inspiring encounters with various tribal groups throughout Taiwan, Tony discovers more unique aspects of his own tribe.\u00a0 He also gains a broader understanding of some of the other tribes that make up the beautiful culture he comes to know as \u201chis family.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/br>
\n\"Shu-min\"<\/a>
\nSHU-MIN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shu-min Hsu Coolidge was born and raised in Tainan, Taiwan, in a predominantly Han Chinese society.\u00a0\u00a0 Growing up, Shu-min was never encouraged to bond with indigenous Taiwanese people.\u00a0 She represents the Han majority of Taiwan, and her loving marriage with Tony is an example of the healing of differences between the indigenous cultures of Taiwan and the Han culture.<\/p>\n

Having to take care of her ailing father, Shu-min is forced to leave her family behind in the United States and return to Taiwan.\u00a0 Four months later, she would welcome her husband Tony, and aid him on his journey.<\/p>\n

Throughout the film, Shu-min faces adversity.\u00a0 Despite her personal hardships, Shu-min has to summon the courage to help Tony make his way through the diverse landscapes of her native land.\u00a0 Maybe even learning something for herself along the way.<\/p>\n

<\/br>
\n\"Steve<\/a>
\nSTEVE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Steven Coolidge is the brother of Tony Coolidge, and the youngest of four children.\u00a0 Like Tony, Steve shared a close relationship with his mother and was devastated by the circumstances of her death.<\/p>\n

Knowing that Steve had previously expressed interest in learning about their mother\u2019s indigenous heritage, Tony offers to bring him along to Taiwan.\u00a0 Steve reluctantly accepts, knowing his expectations in going differ greatly from Tony\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Steve\u2019s interesting anecdotes and analyses throughout the film provide their own distinct point of view into the culture he discovers alongside his brother.<\/p>\n

<\/br>
\n\"Truku<\/a>
\nTHE TRUKU ELDERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sakai I-wan, I-pai Lodan, and Sigi Uming have survived four distinct cultural changes and generations of struggle.\u00a0 Originating from the Truku tribe, and having lived through most of the 20th century, these \u201cgreat-grandmothers\u201d share their memories with the inquisitive American\u2014some funny and inspirational, while others deeply saddening.\u00a0 Their reflections provide some of the most eye-opening and heart-warming moments of Tony\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

<\/br>
\n\"Alice\"<\/a>
\nALICE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alice Takewatan is a well-respected teacher and activist.\u00a0 She is a member of the Bunun, one of many tribes that make up Taiwan\u2019s indigenous population.\u00a0 Alice travels the world, sharing the indigenous cultures of Taiwan through music, dance and art\u2014which are among the few components of traditional tribal life that remain largely untainted by\u00a0\u00a0 modernization.<\/p>\n

Through fate, Alice meets Tony at his cultural festival in the United States.\u00a0 Inspired by Tony\u2019s dedication to his culture, she invites Tony to revisit Taiwan, and uses her connections to provide him with a more authentic experience of Taiwanese tribal life.<\/p>\n

<\/br>
\n\"Su-Chen<\/a>
\nSU-CHEN & YA-KI<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the mountainous village of Wufeng, Taiwan, Su-Chen Wang earns a humble living as a designer of indigenous clothing.\u00a0 Incorporating authentic weaving patterns from the Atayal tribe, Su-Chen\u2019s designs have earned her a reputation as a conservator of indigenous culture.<\/p>\n

Su-Chen brings Tony face-to-face with Ya-ki, one of the oldest elders of the Atayal.\u00a0 Over a hundred years old and bearing the intricate facial tattoos native to her culture, Ya-ki represents Tony\u2019s first encounter with a living relic of his tribe.\u00a0 Ya-ki\u2019s stories open a new window into the history and beauty of the indigenous people of Taiwan.<\/p>\n

<\/br>
\n\"Tien\"<\/a>
\nTIEN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tien Guei-Shih is a photographer who devotes his life to his tribe.\u00a0 His photographs document the facial tattoo culture that was once an essential part of life for the Atayal.\u00a0 Once considered fierce headhunters, the Atayal used facial tattoos as a way to distinguish themselves from other tribes in Taiwan.\u00a0 Tien\u2019s photography has been appreciated and recognized worldwide.<\/p>\n

Pleased to learn of the cultural preservation efforts his younger \u201ctribal brother,\u201d Tien is moved to introduce Tony to the last remaining tattooed elders residing in the coastal Taiwanese region of Hualien.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TONY Tony Coolidge was born in Taipei, Taiwan, to an American soldier and a Taiwanese mother.\u00a0 At the age of 27, Tony travels back to Taiwan to reunite with his relatives after losing his mother to cancer.\u00a0 While in his home village of Wulai, Tony discovers he is a descendant of an indigenous tribe called […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":5,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":223,"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions\/223"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/voicesintheclouds.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}