shashasha

The photographs in Taiwanese photographer Lin Yu-Chih’s book “Fearless” tell of the Atayal, Taiwanese aborigines.
Once living as hunters in the mountains of north-east Taiwan, they have been evangelized by missionaries and marginalized by Taiwan’s rapid development. They now live in relative misery, and have lost contact with many of their ancient traditions.
Translated into English, the word Atayal means “genuine person” or “brave person.”
Contrasted with images of Taiwan’s natural beauty, Lin’s photos portray both members of the Atayal as well as their living situations.
A text from Carlo Levi’s book “Christ Stopped at Eboli” draws comparisons between the Atayal’s situation with Levi’s portrayal of the Basilicata region in Italy, an “anthropological and universal portrait of a primitive culture, on that misery, courage and dignity.”