The Truku people — also written Taroko, which also gives the national park its name — are the Indigenous Formosan people who have lived in the gorge valleys for centuries. Their weaving tradition (geometric patterns in red and white, traditionally using hemp) is among the most distinctive in Taiwan. The park's name honours this presence; the Truku Nation has increasingly advocated for recognition of their connection to the land and for a greater role in managing the park.
Truku cultural experience is available at several points in the park: the visitor centre has displays on history and culture, and several communities in the lower gorge area offer guided cultural tours, traditional textile workshops, and festivals (particularly around indigenous people's days in July). The community at Sioulin Township, just outside the park entrance, is the most organised for cultural tourism. The history of displacement — first by the Japanese, then by the Nationalist government's highway construction using forced labour — is acknowledged in recent park interpretation materials.