Inka Mbing – Recovering Atayal Identity Through the Arts and Spirituality

Inka Mbing is a member of the Atayal ethnic group of Taiwan. In her youth, she left her tribal land to make a living as a professional singer with a female rock-band in Taipei. Later in life, aroused by the ancient songs of her ancestors, Inka started on the journey to discover her heritage. Through teaching the Atayal children their native tongue. Joining the struggle to protect Atayal land from toxic commercial agriculture, and engaging in the movement to return to regenerative agriculture, Inka reconnects with her ancestral roots. Her songs give voice / to the heart and soul / of an oppressed people struggling to rediscover their identity and to fight for a rightful place in the universal community. The practice of yoga meditation and asanas enables Inka to overcome the negative emotions often aroused by this struggle, thus generating a wellspring of love and peace, like the lotus flower pushing up through the mud to reach the sun.