The mountains and the sea used to be so close, but today's urban Aborigines have had little choice but to move where the work is. They've left their magnificent Hualien coast for rough shacks made of corrugated steel with ceilings that look like threadbare rags stitched together into silent totems.
Whether in riverine Sanying Community or mountainside Happy Village, the homes that urban Aborigines return to at the end of a grueling day's work are the only ones they have. While the battle against the tragic razing of the Sanying Community continues, the residents on Happy Mountain are content with their lot. The variations on the theme of urban Aboriginal homes can be raucous or soothing, but the ever-present note of melancholy always rends the heart.
The sun still shines and people are as warm and friendly as ever. But, without a home, there is no hearth and no refuge from the elements.
Carefree dogs have little interest in the protests.To them, "home" is wherever their masters are.
The sun still shines and people are as warm and friendly as ever. But, without a home, there is no hearth and no refuge from the elements.