Dulan State

Dulan is pronounced 'atolan in the Amis language. The name originated because the area originally had many stones, and 'atol means to pile stones or build stone walls. When the Dulan Amis people cleared land for cultivation, they built stone walls with the excavated stones, which also contributed to the origin of the place name Dulan. During the Qing Dynasty, it was called 'Duluán' (都巒), later the Japanese government called it 'Duluán' (都鑾), and it was not until 1937 that it was changed to its current name. 【Cultural Representation】Dulan is the largest and most organized tribe in the southern section of the East Coast, known for its festive culture, marine culture, wild vegetable culture, and craft culture. As SDGs are promoted globally, the tribe's customary foraging culture and knowledge system have naturally come to the forefront. The use of natural materials and foraging culture is not just an ancient way of life; its modern spirit lies in understanding the original forms of ingredients, environmental systems, and traditional ecology. Taking marine culture as an example, Dulan's traditional marine knowledge is built upon the interaction between humans and the ocean, resulting in intertwined ecological, social, and cultural layers of traditional ecological knowledge. This can be further categorized into seven aspects: 'Ritual Beliefs,' 'Coastal Landscape and Memory,' 'Fish Naming System,' 'Inheritance of Traditional Marine Knowledge,' 'Livelihood Activities,' 'Material Culture,' and 'Maritime Knowledge'. Regarding humanities, history, and geography, the Dulan tribe began cultural revitalization in the 1990s, with the revival of its age-grade organization being particularly noteworthy. In traditional old societies, the age-grade organization served as both an army and a system of social self-governance, responsible for organizing and mobilizing to handle tribal public affairs. However, with the introduction of modern national political systems, the age-grade organization's role in tribal public affairs was weakened. With the gradual revival of the age-grade organization and the implementation of traditional education, the Dulan tribe has now developed a unique model for handling public affairs, integrating traditional organizations with modern systems. In 2023, it was invited by the Taiwan Cultural Expo to exhibit under the theme of 'New-Type Self-Governance System'. 【Youth Revitalization in Progress】The first group of young people returning to Dulan created new possibilities. Inheriting the complete cultural context of the tribal elders, in 2020, with the collective consensus of the tribe, they established 'Dulan State' (都蘭國) as a social enterprise, serving as the Dulan tribe's state-owned enterprise and local representative. Through accumulated experience and human resource integration, the team has steadily increased product competitiveness and service point functions, providing more future job opportunities and training mechanisms for young people through its business model. In addition to generating income and creating resources, it actively stirs up the local area in a tribe-centric manner, employing collective consensus and decision-making to continuously expand local influence within the Dulan State. 【Collective Sharing of Income】In 2019, the government returned 47 hectares of land to the tribe for management through administrative entrustment, serving as an indigenous self-governance demonstration zone. Thus began the collective sharing of all income generated from local revitalization by the tribe. The tribal community can determine how the income is used, primarily focusing on after-school tutoring for children, long-term care and cultural health stations, and cultural mobilization. It has now started to inject funds into cultural and social support, making rituals and cultural activities more vibrant. The association chairman (who is also the chief) convenes administrative meetings monthly, where heads of various divisions report on the progress of their respective tasks and coordinate division of labor.