Ketagalan Culture Center

The Ketagalan Culture Center documents the historical context of the Pingpu people, as well as contemporary indigenous art and artifacts. Beyond its hot springs, Beitou offers a distinct indigenous charm. The place name 'Beitou' is a transliteration from the Ketagalan language, meaning 'witch,' and was the original home of the Ketagalan people over 400 years ago. To preserve and promote indigenous cultural arts, the Ketagalan Culture Center, established by the Taipei City Government's Department of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, was newly completed in November 2002. The entire building is dedicated to showcasing indigenous cultural arts, providing urban indigenous people with an exclusive space for cultural heritage and skills development. Before entering the Culture Center, a row of wooden stakes stands by the roadside, adorned with tin sculptures depicting various expressions, including a 'holding hands' gesture symbolizing ethnic harmony, representing an indigenous art installation conveying 'we are all one family.' Inside, each floor is planned with thematic exhibits, presenting the historical and cultural context of indigenous peoples through engaging and lively guided routes, making it a recreational spot for an intimate experience with indigenous culture. The ten-story main building features a facade of distinctively layered slate, resembling a 'breathing house' with a strong, minimalist design that complements the surrounding hot spring hotels and Beitou Hot Spring Park. The bright and spacious first-floor lobby, with its brilliant ethnic woven totem floor tiles, ushers visitors into the embrace of tribal culture. Historically rich stone carvings and powerfully styled wood carvings are highly captivating, and various hunting tools hung on the walls evoke images of traditional indigenous life, where deer and wild boar were pursued. Every sight and object in the Culture Center allows visitors to feel the essence of indigenous life! In addition to showcasing important collections of indigenous artifacts and Pingpu tribal treasures, the public spaces on the first to third floors also serve as centers for performances, events, gatherings, and skills workshops, as well as emotional spaces for urban indigenous people to foster tribal cohesion. The Culture Center also provides indigenous-themed book lending services. Its diverse collection helps visitors enhance their appreciation and understanding of indigenous culture and art, inspiring schoolchildren to explore and learn about diverse ethnic groups. Taiwan's towering mountains, plains, and basins have nurtured the diverse cultures of numerous indigenous groups. The Ketagalan Culture Center preserves their nature-worshipping rituals, festivals, and customs, allowing visitors to learn about these first inhabitants of Taiwan. This land holds many astonishing ancestral wisdoms. If you're lucky, you might even encounter indigenous groups in traditional attire gathering or performing inside the Culture Center, showcasing their genuine and passionate spirit. Since its inception, the Ketagalan Culture Center has hosted numerous indigenous cultural events and traditional handicraft exhibitions. Many indigenous artists' works are also displayed here, fostering a fusion of indigenous homelands and urban centers, tradition and modernity, thereby fulfilling the significant meaning of the Culture Center. Taiwan's diverse ethnic groups have developed rich and colorful cultures. The Culture Center is not only a treasure trove of national indigenous cultural collections but also a multifunctional learning center for indigenous cultural arts. The Ketagalan Culture Center is located in the Xinbeitou Hot Spring area. After experiencing its rich culture and art, take a stroll through the misty hot spring village and continue to explore the traces of the Ketagalan people!