Mio Nishimura
In the early 1990s, a slow, dreamy song called “Return to Innocence” became a hit in many countries. The musical group Enigma from Germany released it in 1993, and it reached number one in five countries. But the voices in its famous chant did not come from a studio in Europe.
The singers were Difang and Igay Duana, a husband and wife who performed with a Taiwanese cultural group. A cultural organization in Paris recorded them while they were on tour and released the recording on a CD.
A few years later, Enigma used part of it but did not say where the chant came from or who had sung it. Listeners had to guess. Some thought it was a Native American song, and others believed it came from the Balkans. In fact, the voices belonged to an Amis couple from Taiwan. A lawsuit followed, and it ended with a settlement out of court.
Difang and Igay Duana were members of the Amis people, Taiwan’s largest Indigenous group. The traditional homeland of the Amis is a long, narrow valley between two mountain ranges, along with the Pacific coast of eastern Taiwan. This is the wild eastern side of the island, where the mountains meet the sea.
For the Amis, singing is much more than entertainment. Their music is known for polyphony, which means that several voices sing different melodies at the same time, and the melodies weave around each other. It sounds rich and layered, like a conversation between voices.
The most important Amis ceremony is the Harvest Festival. Every summer, from July to September, communities gather to thank the gods and pray for a good harvest in the next year. People wear floral headdresses and bright red clothes. Red was not always the traditional color. Old Amis clothing was mostly black, but during the 20th century, red became popular because it feels festive.
Family life has its own surprises. Traditionally, the Amis follow the mother’s line, so property is passed down through women and children are seen as born to the mother’s people. The woman who runs the household also decides family matters, including the money.
Today, many Amis live far from the old villages. They make up most of the indigenous people living in Taiwan’s cities. Yet their music has not stayed in the past. Singer and songwriter Suming, for example, mixes traditional Amis elements into his songs and founded the Amis Music Festival.
