During my recent trip to Wulai (Ulay in Atayal) I was pleased to see at least a few signs in the Atayal language.

This one — no Chinese characters! no English! — appears on the fronts of several stores on the Old Street that have water from hot springs piped into tubs there. I asked a couple of shop owners about this. They clearly had only vague notions about the signs being for hot springs; they couldn’t read the signs themselves.

This sign takes the form of personal pledges for a healthy lifestyle. Most have to do with [not] drinking.

Gaga is the Atayal word for traditions/customs/rules (especially those handed down from their ancestors).