The inaugural World Indigenous Traditional Games wove together enduring cultures through sport, with a focus on recognising heritage and customs as well as competition.
Taiwan hosted 28 teams across 11 visiting nations in addition to separate Indigenous Taiwanese tribes that coexist on its territorial islands off the coast of China.
The event held over three days of friendly competition - in addition to the opening and closing ceremony days - is the second iteration of a worldwide Indigenous event, with the first in 2015 in Brazil.
The Taiwanese version has been largely based on historic cultural Austronesian disciplines that have stood for up to 4000 years, involving archery, canoeing, dancing, fishing, log-cutting, net-casting, singing, tug-o-war, snorkeling racing, and wrestling.
Taiwan has previously held its own biennial National Indigenous Games since 1999 and invited Indigenous cultures that mostly are designated in the seafaring Pacific region to join the unique event.
The new global event presents itself as "bringing together Indigenous peoples from around the world to celebrate cultural heritage and compete in traditional sports that reflect ancestral skills and community spirit".
During the opening ceremony, a lit flame symbolised "inheritance and connection to Indigenous song and dance", according to the organisers of the World Indigenous Traditional Games, collectively bringing competitors from right across Austronesia together.
Aotearoa/New Zealand entered the small, standing arena first, delivering a ceremonial Māori Haka performed in front of Indigenous dignitaries.
The Aotearoa athletes, who mainly hailed from Bay of Plenty region surrounding Rotorua, often termed as the chiefdom of Māori ethnicity, were amazed at the appreciation for each of the Indigenous cultures on display, Montel Tivoli told Māori-language Te Karere television.
"It's amazing to see Indigenous peoples so united, playing games and the sports our ancestors once played," he said.
Maiau Houltham, also of Tiri Māori, added that the games promoted competition through a Māori term of kapa haka, the activity of dancing and chanting in an expression of cultural identity.
"The event is important because it revives and strengthens the traditions of ancestors, and also shows the world that Māori are here and proud," she said.
Aotearoa finished the best-performing foreign tribal nations across the World Indigenous Traditional Games, collecting two gold, one silver and one bronze.
But the Kayal Indigenous tribe of Taiwan, the third largest Indigenous tribe in their country, dominated the medal count with seven of the 16 gold on offer, one silver and two more bronze.
Palau was the only non-Taiwanese nation state that claimed gold amid Indigenous athletes from Canada, Guam, Guatemala, Hawai'i, Japan, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Philippines and Tuvalu.
