With bare feet on the earth, holding hands in a circle and humming a song, the group feels the sprouting power of life. Among them, one clutches and embraces himself, imparting to the others the reassuring feeling of this embrace, as if they were immersed in the warm cuddle of Mother Earth. Returning to his hometown, Suana Emuy Cilangasay brings Indigenous children into singing, embracing the land with his music, connecting with each other, and continues on his creative journey. At 2019 TAIWANfest, Suana embarked on a musical journey of self-identification with Canadian musicians. This year, he will lead us into his creative mind, as well as his spiritual conversation in Taiwan.

Suana Emuy Cilangasay is an Amis musician with many identities. He is a music producer, a singer-songwriter, a band music director and a theatre artist. Growing up in southern Taiwan, he only learned of his Indigenous identity when he returned with his mother to her mountainous hometown in eastern Taiwan. Church was his initiation into music, and he learned to play the piano, which led to the deepest bond with music in all his life. With his grandmother, mother, and godmother, he studied tribal languages and cultures, using the Amis language as the core of his creativity, combining traditional tunes, Western instrumental music and multiple styles to compose the world of contemporary Indigenous and urban youths. He expects the music to permeate deep into the soul of listeners and bring out different life stories.