HUNTER SCHOOL by Sakinu Ahronglong

Translated by Darryl Sterk

Before picking up Hunter School, I’d never heard of the indigenous Paiwanese people of Taiwan. One of sixteen such groups, they have faced cultural extinction through a combination of government intervention, technological progress and the general homogenisation of life in an ever-shrinking world. Enter Sakinu Ahronglong, a young Paiwanese writer of immense talent and heart. Determined to not only document but also celebrate a way of life he fears might disappear, Ahronglong has written a vaguely autobiographical novel that draws on myth, ritual and a wealth of oral histories. And it’s an absolute delight to read.

Hunter School is a book in three parts, each made up of a series of well-honed vignettes, There is a fierce honesty in the way Ahronglong relates his people’s experience. He writes with love and pride but does not shy away from the challenges. So for every sweet passage about farming with his grandfather, learning to hunt with his father or sharing his food with animals, there are heartbreaking tales of exploitation in the big cities and the ravages of alcohol.

Although Ahronglong doesn’t quite stick the landing this is a book to treasure; a joyous triumph that seeks to proudly reclaim indigenous identity.

Hunter School by Sakinu Ahronglong (Tr. Darry Sterk)
Honford Star, 2020
162 pages