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Elderly Tao woman is
given her dying wish: to go home
FINAL JOURNEY: Taitung County Commissioner
Justin Huang raised the money for the flight, which allowed the woman to die in
accordance with traditional Tao customs
Staff Writer, with CNA
An elderly woman from Orchid Island (ÄõÀ¬) finally got her dying wish on Monday
when she was flown from Taitung County to her birthplace to spend her final days
at home.
A member of Orchid Island¡¦s Tao tribe, the 87-year-old woman, surnamed Lee (§õ)
in Chinese, was flown to the island aboard a chartered Daily Air Corp helicopter
at about 4pm on Monday in the company of her daughter.
The 30-minute flight was made possible by the efforts of Taitung County
Commissioner Justin Huang (¶À°·®x), Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai
Kun-cheng (¿à©[¦¨), who represents the county, and others.
Lee, who had been receiving care in a hospital in Taitung, tried to return home
over the weekend by ferry, but the ferry operator refused to accept her because
of her condition.
Daily Air agreed on Monday to transport Lee to Orchid Island before collecting
for the charter, which cost NT$450,000 (US$15,400).
Huang signed his name to endorse the deal.
Huang raised the money online after first donating NT$50,000.
The matter was particularly pressing for Lee because of the tribe¡¦s unique
burial customs.
According to a folklore culture worker, the Tao (also known as the Yami tribe)
consider one¡¦s passing an ¡§evil¡¨ or ¡§cursed¡¨ death if a person dies while
traveling or in a place other than his or her birthplace.
It is also the tribe¡¦s tradition to have the deceased buried on the same day of
his or her death, during the daytime, which would have been impossible for Lee
had she died in Taitung County.
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