The Thao aborigines comprise the smallest population of Taiwan’s recognized indigenous minority groups. They have unique cultural traditions and customs, a unique language, well-maintained beliefs based on ancestor-worship, and rich seasonal rituals. Most of the Thao population is concentrated in Brawbaw Village on the banks of Sun Moon Lake. On September 21, 1999, a massive earthquake damaged or destroyed 80% of Thao homes in the area. To provide a base for recovering and preserving Thao culture, a resettlement community was constructed, with support from Taiwan’s Academia Sinica as well as domestic and foreign NGOs and civic groups.

The plan for the resettlement community was organized around the Ceremonial Spaces as the main axis, and developed in accordance with the underlying topography of the land as well as the local environment. A system of ‘work instead of charity’ was invoked to allow tribe members collectively to contribute to the labor of rebuilding the community, addressing the question of economic livelihoods, but most importantly, re-solidifying tribal consciousness through collective labor.