There used to be three to four hundred slate stone houses in Taromak. The villagers then moved to lower vicinity, and the slate houses were mostly in dilapidated states. Presently, the villagers are eager to restore the old village, and have since reconstructed two slate stone houses. This summer, the Jane Goodall Institute Taiwan arranged for Roots & Shoots volunteers to join the rebuilding effort. They arrived in two teams from August 12 to 18, helping the local people with the rebuilding. Although a typhoon cut short the activities, the volunteers had a great time while they were there!

When the volunteers arrived at the entrance of the village, the chief held a simple ceremony to bless these ¡§fair¡¨ friends. Then they hopped into jeeps and traveled up a bumpy mud trail to the village. The beautiful scenery made everyone forget their worries in a busy city. Later, Professor Liu Jiongsih introduced everyone to the culture and history of the Taromak tribe. A simple but sumptuous meal was prepared, and everyone happily dug in.

There was so much to do in the days to follow. Everyone was so busy digging up slate stones, and at the same time learning to make bows and arrows and traditional weaving! Everyone worked hard and was very happy to be part of the effort.

Don¡¦t fret if you missed this opportunity! The Jane Goodall Institute will be organizing similar activities in the near future, so watch out for the latest announcement on our website (www.goodall.org.tw)!

Volunteers's BLOG -MyTaromak (1) (2) (3) (4)

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