Taiwanese Students Use Museum Artifacts as 'Time Machines' to Explore Ethnic History

An innovative educational program in Tainan, Taiwan, is transporting students back in time through a unique museum experience focused on inter-ethnic exchange and historical evolution. The "madakaw Time Machine, Taiwanese Ethnic Interaction History Visit and Educational Experience," a collaboration between Tainan City's Indigenous Education Resource Center and the National Museum of Taiwan History, uses artifacts as portals to the past.

Students are guided through the museum's exhibits, encountering items ranging from traditional Paiwan indigenous clothing and silver helmets to models of traditional architecture. Each artifact serves as a "time machine," vividly presenting historical interactions, societal changes, and cultural exchanges that have shaped Taiwan. The program moves beyond rote memorization of dates and events, encouraging students to observe artifact details and piece together historical clues from different perspectives.

This hands-on approach has yielded impactful learning moments. Chiu Tzu-chi, a student from Annan Junior High School, shared her surprise upon discovering that coins sewn onto Paiwan clothing were from the Japanese colonial era, not the Qing Dynasty as she initially assumed. This realization made her understand more concretely that indigenous cultures are not static but have continuously developed and transformed through interactions across different eras.

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A coin sewn onto Paiwan clothing turned out to be from the Japanese colonial period, which surprised me and made me feel more concretely that indigenous culture is not static but has continued to develop and change through exchanges in different eras.

Chen Ting-yi, a student from Xinhua Elementary School, was particularly struck by the exhibited silver helmets and related ornaments. Seeing these items evoked thoughts of early indigenous trade with the outside world, revealing how seemingly static objects in display cases can hold crucial clues to inter-ethnic exchanges. The program aims to connect textbook concepts with tangible historical evidence and exhibition contexts, fostering students' observational skills, critical thinking, and respect for diverse cultures.

Education Bureau Director Cheng Hsin-hui emphasized the importance of deeply understanding indigenous history and culture alongside language preservation. By using museum exhibits and artifacts as mediums, the program situates indigenous history within the broader context of Taiwan's development, cultivating students' ability to observe, think, and respect multiculturalism.

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Seeing these artifacts made me think of the history of early indigenous trade with the outside world, and I realized that objects that seem to lie quietly in display cases can actually be important clues to the exchange between different ethnic groups.