Combining old and new
Take for example the album’s new song “Tjakudain” (“Helpless”), made in collaboration with DJ Didilong. The song cleverly employs the expression “tjakudain” (meaning “what can we do?”) that is currently hip in Paiwan society, echoing against the Taiwanese expression “you don’t accept me,” to commemorate a forbidden love between a Paiwan and a Han Chinese. The soaring middle passage is taken from “Song of Helplessness,” passed down among the Paiwan people.
The lyrics for “1-10,” meanwhile, were written by Abao’s mother. Constructed around the Paiwan numbers for one through ten, the song is like basic teaching material for the Paiwan language.
However, not all old melodies are suitable for this kind of fusion. For example, Abao avoids the use of traditional songs of worship. “Frankly, what’s the point of calling the souls of the ancestors without purpose? You can’t tell them to come down to see a pop concert, right?”
Following the release of Kinakaian: Mother Tongue, many people were so impressed by the nimble electronic music and rap vibe, the mainstream production values, and the cool “sun god” cover art on the album, that they thought Abao could go international. One fan won over by Abao, who declared that her knowledge of the Paiwan language was zero, still made an elaborate linguistic analysis of the lyrics, from function words and word roots to affixes and nominalization. The amount of effort required caused Abao’s mother to ask: “Did the person who analyzed ‘Tjakudain’ do it because they want so much to fall in love?”
“Look at your shoes, are they different from the ones we wear? Look at your skin, it is so fair….” Abao rises above stereotypical cultural symbols and through the lyrics of “Tjakudain” talks about the differences between Paiwan and Han Chinese. This Paiwan woman uses her beautiful voice to prove that music can transcend linguistic and ethnic boundaries.
Lavuras Matilin and the Vusum Hana band
Traditional Rukai musical duo Drekai Yacengeceng
Ulay indigenous community's Atayal youth band atl (atayal team lokah)
In her song “Kinakaian,” Abao sings “The language we speak flows naturally / How beautiful it sounds.” Listeners will surely feel the joie de vivre she expresses in song. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)
Abao performed in New York’s Central Park, interacting with the international audience through music.
Abao’s new album Kinakaian: Mother Tongue mixes Paiwan-language songs with electronic music, rap, and other styles; it seems Abao is ready to go international.