Indigenous Taiwanese revive sea route to Philippines

A group of indigenous Taiwanese seafarers has successfully completed a historic voyage, paddling a traditional wooden canoe across the Bashi Channel to the Philippines to revive a maritime route dormant for centuries. The Tao people from Orchid Island set off on Monday, June 15, 2026, and arrived on Batan Island in the northern Philippines the following day, where they were welcomed by local Ivatan communities with drum and dance performances.

The journey, spanning approximately 100 nautical miles, was undertaken in a 12-meter-long, hand-carved canoe named Ovayan, or Golden Friendship. The vessel, capable of carrying up to 20 people, was built by more than 200 artisans from six tribal communities on Orchid Island using traditional methods without nails. A total of 60 participants took turns rowing the canoe over roughly 24 hours, accompanied by modern support ships for safety.

Organizers said the voyage aimed to reconnect long-forgotten cultural and ancestral ties between the Tao and the Ivatan people, who share linguistic and historical links. The trip was described as the first of its kind in 300 years, reviving a sea route first traversed thousands of years ago during the...