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1. Description of Our Community
Siji Village lies on Route 7A, and the mountainside that is about 0.5km away from the northeast of the joint between the right bank of Lanyang River's upper reach and its branch—Sichung River. It is 1000m high above the sea level. Carved by the miracle nature, this territory is featured with lofty and precipitous peaks, beautiful lakes and landscapes. Siji, divided into upper, middle, lower tribes, is an original village subordinated to Atayal Tribe. After passing Liumaoan, it can be found the Siji Elementary School (Tayax), where there is one of the three traditional Atayal elevate barns in Yilan. At the end of winter and the beginning of spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the place will look like an earthly paradise. There, the main economic plants are mostly high mountain vegetables, and there lies a vegetable garden on the sloping field. Siji, with the population of only about 1000, gives us the feeling of self-sufficient peace. Though the four seasons here are clearly defined or all feel like spring, in the mountains, you can just forget about time because it is so pure and natural when the four seasons quietly go by. Besides from Siji Plaform, you can also enter from Siji Forrest Service Road. After about thirty minutes drive, turn right to climb to Jialo Lake from Shenmu entrance. The name--Siji Forrest Service Road is so beautiful that it seems it enjoys all the Siji elegance. Siji, so beautiful a name! The village is amidst of the cloud and mist, like many veils of curtains. Passing through the curtains, sometimes you see smiling children, sometimes the cherry blossom falling to the ground. As said in a fairy tale, the men here are handsome and the women looks pretty just due to the favor of the geographical place abound in gifts of nature and the unique weather.
2. Summary of Our Project
Siji is a name called in an Atayal Tribe. In the fairy tale, it was created by the God himself. The natural scenes full of uncanny workmanship, the intersections of mountains and valleys, and the surrounding of the green mountain and clean water, will place you in an earthly paradise. Green trees and bamboos on the mountain, quiet and deep vies on the way, all form the amazing natural scenery. This time, we will present the multiple dimensional culture of the whole tribe from six aspects. But, what the most important is that all the information are collected by Siji Tribe's children themselves through the interviews with the elders. They carried out the collection and sorting job with round-the-clock effort. Their teachers also hope them to know the culture of their own tribe and its implication through the participation into this project, and then to raise their identification with their own tribe. 1. Tribe's graceful bearing: the history of Atayal Tribe Sitou Clan, the introduction to important figures, the traditions of the tribe, traditional festivals and the interviews. 2. Natural ecology: it is surrounded by high mountains (Taiping Mt., Chilan Mt., Nanhu Mt., Siyuan Yakou), and scattered with rivers and lakes (Lanyang River, Sichung River, Jialo Lakes). Based on this, we analyze the natural scenes, and explain that the Platform of ancient battle field is the life line of Siji’s economy while the juniper forest road an important foundation to hold together the tribe’s life. 3. Traditional arts: introduce Atayal traditional dance, music, musical instruments and weaving craft. 4. Industrial features: Based on the reduction to the agricultural environment, children presents their feeling about the actual life, including “the life history of vegetable chopping team”, the most important world legacy (the Atayal barn with 300 years of history), and finally, the “traditional cuisine” made by the pristine agricultural women with their whole hearts for Atayal courageous men. 5. Research footprint: after a series of investigations and interviews, the children present their true experience and feelings during the research. 6. Trip plan: one-day tour or two-day tour on weekend, many ways for you to know Siji---the hometown of all of us.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:less than 20
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:1
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:2-3
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
In the school, there is a computer room opened to the public and used as the information station of the tribe. Altogether 20 PCs are available. The former network system previously adopted by the school is ADSL1.5M which is extremely poor for use. At the end of 2004, the ministry of education asked Chun Hwa Telecom to deploy a new optical network, going from Yilan to Siji through the shift to Route 7A (17km mark) from Route 7 (30km mark) and then climbing along Lanyang River on the mountain road. This is done to improve the digital information development in Siji Tribe, and then to reduce the drop in digital level of the children in remote area. The only trouble is that when the summer hurricane comes, the disaster will destroy the road, and then the network will be interrupted. The completion of the road repair means the connection of the network.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1. Time issues: The participants are five students of Grade Six. They have to give up the lunch break to discuss the topic or make the design, in order not to influence their normal lesson. The outside interviews can only be arranged on Wednesday afternoon when there is no lesson or on holiday. Though the holidays are scarified, they are all very excited to have the interviews. From the interviews, they understand Atayal culture that previously they know nothing; and therefore, during the whole research, what the students most expect is field interview. 2. Interview difficulties: Because the interviewees are mostly the elders of the tribe, and what they speak is Atayal language, mixed with Japanese, the children cannot catch all the words. It is fortunate that the local teachers can interpret for us. Whereby, the ancient stories are spread far away. 3. Webpage technology: It is of low percentage for the tribe’s families to have a computer, so most of the students have to return to school to use computers. Therefore, the general information ability among them is a little weak. Under the guidance of the teachers, all of them learn how to search and collect information on the Internet, to type in the report about what they have learned via Word, and to send email. As for the webpage design work, through the Hope Gene Development Organization’s dispatch of some students of the Department of Electrical Engineering, National Yilan University, we can further perfect our website.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
During the whole process, the students' information ability is highly promoted under the teachers' guidance; the students, together with the teachers, understand Atayal cultures and customs through the interviews and actual visit; through the actual operation, we know the making of traditional foods. Then, the wisdom of the ancestors can be inherited. Though much time has been scarified, what we have learned is very abundant from so many activities. Besides, the assistance from the Department of Electrical Engineering, National Yilan University is of much significance for us to design the webpage. During mutual communication, both sides' webpage design capability has largely promoted. Moreover, it triggers the students' interest in computers.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
To determine the outline of this project, i.e., to start the planning and integrate the course into activity, is to kill two birds with one stone. 1. Feature course: Center on the historical culture or local features of the tribe, different themes will be determined in each semester after the discussion among the teachers. They plan and design the course, and help the students know the features surrounding the tribe through the course, and then initiate their identification with the tribe. The students benefit a lot from the investigation of the natural ecology and the experience of the industrial features. 2. Integrative activity: our school use the weekly time for integrative activity to teach Atayal folk songs and traditional dances, which becomes a feature of our school. Especially, the dancing team has continuously won in the National Dancing Competition for four years. Besides, last summer holiday, the team was invited by Yilan County Government to perform in Yilan International Children’s Folklore & Folkgame Festival. Through such kind of participation and learning, traditional Atayal culture is widely spread and the students’ identification with own tribe is also promoted. 3. Class of traditional art: as scheduled, the school offers the courses of traditional Atayal arts, including cloth and rattan weaving, native language, etc. These courses are taught by local culture researcher to achieve the aim of spreading and inheriting traditional Atayal arts. Furthermore, what the students learn from the courses can be a kind of tool to make a living.
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