Mathariri Music Festival

Creating a safe and empowering platform for those facing dual marginalization between traditional responsibilities and contemporary identities.
Indigenous people of diverse genders and sexualities often experience “dual marginalization”: stereotyped through an “Indigenous gaze” in mainstream equality discourse while facing traditional gender expectations within their communities. Rooted in collective well-being and family ethics, they seek not to divide their communities through individualistic struggles for rights, but to find acceptance while fulfilling family responsibilities.
The inaugural Mathariri Music Festival marks the first time Taiwan’s government has addressed this issue through an event of national significance. Named after the Rukai word “Mathariri,” meaning “all kinds of beauty,” the festival moves beyond the slogans of Western discourse and reinterprets beauty as collective coexistence in which people illuminate one another.
Moving beyond conventional tourism-oriented presentations of Indigenous culture, the festival brings together contemporary Indigenous musicians, drag artists, and Indonesian all-female metal band VOB. The exhibition My Body, My Choice uses photography and video to explore dual marginalization, bodily autonomy, gender identity, and relationships with the land. The installation Vision, which encourages audiences to look beyond labels, will remain on display at the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Culture Park. Indigenous people are both creators and interpreters, demonstrating how tradition and contemporary identities can coexist.
Equitable participation is embedded in the festival’s design. Free admission lowers economic barriers, while accessible routes and 600 reserved seats, 10% of total capacity, address the needs of people with disabilities, disadvantaged families, and local groups. Seven groups directly benefited, including Indigenous youth, community elders, and urban youth. The festival also eliminates single-use plastics and uses reusable wooden pallets for wet-weather flooring.
The festival attracted over 10,000 visits and 55 market vendors, creating exposure and sales opportunities for Indigenous and local brands. Participants reported feelings of acceptance and self-affirmation. Through artistic expression, participation, and public dialogue, Mathariri transforms inclusion into a lived cultural practice and offers a model for greater equality in local arts and cultural events.