Written by Kuing, Guo-Ting Lin
Image credit: Audio Mix by Sergiu Bacioiu / Flickr, license CC BY-NC 2.0
In recent years, there have been various Indigenous popular music creation and cultivation programmes in Taiwan. For example, the music training camp “Psiwali School” at the Pasiwali Music Festival in Taiwan with the purpose of discovering Indigenous musicians. Another example is the “MINETJUS Electronic Music Production” Programme, which is held by Dark Paradise Records (派樂黛唱片), an independent record label based in Taipei. This initiative blends electronic music and Indigenous culture to help younger musicians turn cultural marginality into unique cultural assets. Most training camps in Taiwan still rely on government support, aiming to strengthen the unique cultural identity of contemporary Indigenous youth and regard this as a catalyst for promoting ethnic diversity. This article examines the meaning of Taiwan’s Indigenous popular music creation and cultivation programmes.
It can be observed from recent music works that more and more songs that use heritage languages as lyrics to fill in different music genres have appeared in the pop music market, such as N1: Nanguaq (那屋瓦) Work No. 1 produced by Abao and Dark Paradise Records. Another example is the debut album of Collage (珂拉琪), “MEmento・MORI”, which was awarded the 33rd Golden Melody in 2022. These cases show how the younger generation of Indigenous musicians have established a starting point for songwriting in their mother tongue, facilitated by participating in music creation and cultivation programmes. Such initiatives also serve as a route for finding their identity.
The phenomenon of translating ethnic characteristics into musical works, constructing self-identity through music, and building up a collective identity in the training camps is worth discussing. On the one hand, it is a way for indigenous singer-songwriters to express themselves through music, exemplifying the infusion of Indigenous perspectives into the pop music industry. The mentor system often used in the training camps also demonstrates the dedication of cultural agency to the industry. On the other hand, both the implementer and the invited tutors participated in the government-funded music training camps driven by cultural responsibilities. However, they are aware that the connotation of contemporary ethnicity is interpreted by the socially dominant group rather than the Indigenous peoples themselves. The process of defining “ethnicity” still needs to be explored and reflected. I attended the first “MINETJUS Electronic Music Production” Programme, which serves as a case here to explore the training camp’s meaning and reflect on the contemporary nature of Indigenous popular music.
Connecting Electronic Music and Indigenous Culture
In the process of music creation, the intersections with different histories and cultures are exactly the meaning of encounter. This kind of encounter is also a characteristic of music presenting a kind of hybridity, which shows the unique possibility of music as a medium of expression. Although slow, this process can gradually reveal the closeness between music and society. The “MINETJUS Electronic Music Production” music training camp focuses on such characteristics, fostering connections between electronic music genres within the popular music industry and the cultural traits of Indigenous peoples. This platform enables musicians to craft electronic music that is infused with ethnicity.
The goal and scope of most courses in the music training camp align with the music industry’s landscape. That is to say, the various steps and processes of pop music production are the core content, such as recording, arrangement, production, distribution, etc. Therefore, the music training camp tailored for young Indigenous musicians is a characteristic pop music field. It uniquely presents how the interplay of self-constructed identity and commercialisation interacts with ethnicity.
Indigenous Identity in the Contemporary Music Industry
On the first day of the music camp, students registered at Coop Studio within Paradise Records. They paid a deposit of 3,000 NTD and proved their Indigenous identity by providing a copy of their household registration. Since the Council of Indigenous Peoples sponsored the programme, identity authentication mainly relied on official notes on documents. The issue of Indigenous peoples’ identity is still controversial. The identity of Indigenous peoples is certified by non-indigenous governments. This is controversial in contemporary Taiwan, where Indigenous communities strive to decolonise. Moreover, there are also compromised perspectives between primordialism and instrumentalism in different academic discussions, so identity construction still has political significance in different contexts. However, considering ethnicity as a collective subjectivity encompassing both identity and culture, the manifestation of ethnic consciousness acknowledged through individual experience is important.
During the class, Lecturers often emphasised that Indigenous creators must consciously remind themselves, as representatives of their ethnic groups, that they need to pay attention to controversial topics and avoid violating taboos. They should avoid solely prioritising commercial interests, ensuring they don’t harm the people within their communities. This reminder clearly underscores the contemporary significance of ethnicity. As culture is a field for self-constructed identity, students experienced diverse construction processes due to their divergent backgrounds. However, a nuanced dynamic comes into play as music works are influenced by commercial interests and their impact on Indigenous communities. When observing students’ thinking in the music creation process, it becomes apparent that the identity tied to each individual’s Indigenous heritage continuously logged in and out through the medium of music.
When participating in the course, I observed that the students presented the content of the work with their respective cultural backgrounds. Yet the creative meaning mainly aligned the popular music production. Explaining this from a musical standpoint, electronic music and Indigenous culture are hybrid, embodying both contemporary and diversity for the students. From the music market perspective, students seem to be framed in music genres.
In the process of music creation, these intersections with different histories and cultures are exactly an encounter, showing the unique possibility of music as a medium of expression. The “MINETJUS” music training camp focuses on the characteristics of electronic music in popular music, connecting the cultural characteristics of indigenous peoples, and musicians can create electronic music works with ethnicity. Students’ music works reflect their situation in Taiwan and cultivate a new grassroots music culture close to the Indigenous peoples. However, the training camp brings these music works even closer to the commercial market, thereby creating the possibility for another kind of “incorporation.”
Reflecting on the Trend of Hybridisation
Many Indigenous music training camps have recently provided participants with more exposure and opportunities. These camps also produced a hybrid music culture. However, this article highlights that the allocation of project subsidies through policy measures does not actually prioritise Indigenous peoples. Indigenous culture is not the core value of the programme. The creative energy of students and the route to finding identity in contemporary Taiwanese society can only be presented through the bricolage and adaptation of different contemporary cultures. This article reflects on the contemporaneity of Indigenous popular music, raising certain doubts. This reflection stems from the aspiration that, following a long period of colonial history, young Indigenous musicians could find a clearer approach to regain their agency.
This article does not intend to criticise the student’s approach to music creation; rather, it aims to reflect on the trend of hybridisation between Indigenous culture and popular music. This trend has become apparent through the educational model of music training camps. In addition to providing young Indigenous singer-songwriters opportunities to get access to the music industry and market, this educational model may also have an unconscious impact on ethnic culture. Certainly, the advantage is that the Indigenous culture can rejuvenate the market, and even construct a new meaning of identity. However, when “identity” becomes intertwined with consumption culture, ethnicity would be reshaped, creating collective agency and a way to live together. The commodification and naturalisation of ethnicity proceed simultaneously, resulting in the mutual evolution of culture and commodities. The encounter of cultures and the hybridisation of genres in music give the music works more possibilities. This is exactly what the new generation of Indigenous musicians should face.
This article was published as part of a special issue on Pop Music, Languages, and Cultural Identities in Taiwan.
Taiwan Insight 