A group of Indigenous people from Taiwan has completed a historic 100-mile journey across the open ocean in a traditional rowboat, bringing their ancestors' history back to life.
Members of the Tao tribe on Lanyu Island, located about 40 miles off the southeast coast of Taiwan, prepared a 39-foot wooden rowing boat for the trip. The Tao are a small group of about 5,000 people. They belong to the Austronesian language family, a group of peoples whose roots can be traced back to Taiwan thousands of years ago.
The rowers set out to reach the Batanes islands in the northern Philippines. This sea route was once traveled by their ancestors, but a traditional boat of this kind had not made the crossing in about 300 years.
The crew faced rough seas and spent more than a day paddling across the water. When they finally arrived in the Philippines, local Ivatan tribespeople greeted them. The two groups share many cultural links, and their languages are still very similar.
For the rowers, the journey was a way to connect with their heritage and prove that their oral legends are true. Rower Zhang Shi-Kai explained that the voyage was a chance to show the next generation their history firsthand.