Unseen Formosa - Fragments of 17th Century VOC & Indigenous Taiwan

What comes to mind when you hear of Taiwan? You might think the Netherlands is worlds away from this island in the western Pacific. But 400 years ago, there was conflict, trade, and even stroopwafel sharing between Indigenous people and the Dutch on this island. How did it come to pass, and why is this history so little known in both Taiwanese and Dutch society today?

An overlooked historic moment in the 1600s changed the lives of Taiwan’s Indigenous people forever when Dutch fleets anchored on the shores of southwestern Taiwan. A brief yet complex colonial period left behind fragments of stories passed down from generation to generation in Indigenous communities.

A group of Taiwanese students in the Netherlands created the Unseen Formosa Program – to collect and share these unseen stories. Over the past few months, we’ve gathered together nine different stories from seven Indigenous members of the Amis, Sakizaya, Paiwan, Tsou, Rukai, and Siraya communities. They granted us consent to present the stories. Our exhibition also features a diverse range of materials, including published papers, journals, and photos and videos shared by Indigenous community members.

We would like to emphasize that we are not claiming to represent Taiwan's Indigenous peoples. But as individuals who have had the privilege to experience both Taiwan and the Netherlands, we hope to serve as a bridge to connect people, places, and histories across 9,000 kilometres and 400 years. While these nine stories capture only a small part of the rich and complex history between Indigenous peoples in Taiwan and the Dutch VOC, we hope these stories offer glimpses—like scattered pieces of a larger mosaic—into that shared past. That is why we chose the word “fragments” for the exhibition title.

If our exhibition sparks your interest and encourages you to explore this history further, join us—and let's sail into this entangled and perhaps forgotten history together!

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Opening hours: 6-14 Sep 1pm - 7pm (Monday and Tuesday Close)

Opening Event: 6 Sep (2pm - 4pm )

Event Highlights -

Talk:

Sailing into Taiwan’s Past: The Dutch Influence on Its History

Guest Speaker: Leonard Blussé, Historian at Leiden University

Panel Discussion:

History from the Other Shore: Indigenous Voices on Dutch–Taiwan Encounters

Moderator: Er-Wen (Emma) Yang

Guest Speakers:

Leonard Blussé (Historian, Leiden University)

Uma (Siraya)

Amid (Amis)

Cudjuy-Ruvaniyau (Paiwan)

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Unseen Formosa Team:

Er-Wen (Emma) Yang , Catriona Chen, YuHsuan (Joyce) Lin, Ting-Yu Kan, Quan Alex Liu, Jamie Yu-Che Wu

Consultants:

Jack Lai and Loretta Lau

Organised by:

NGO DEI

Our Respected Indigenous Collaborators and Storytellers:

Amid from the Fata'an tribe (Amis)

Masako from the Tafalong tribe (Amis)

Kala from the Sakul tribe (Sakizaya)

Uma from the Sinkang tribe (Siraya)

Salu from the Xinmei tribe (Tsou)

Princess Ullun and her husband Mr. Xu from the Kinulane tribe (Rukai)

Cudjuy-Ruvaniyau from the Aljungic tribe (Paiwan)

Partner Organizations:

Kakita’an Ancestral House and Cultural Center of Fata’an

臺南市西拉雅文化協會