The Taiwanese Aborigines, An Important Part In Human Culture And History

For most of their recorded history, Taiwanese aborigines have been defined by the agents of different Confucian, Christian, and Nationalist"civilizing" projects, with a variety of aims. Each "civilizing" project defined the aborigines based on the "civilizer"'s cultural understandings of difference and similarity, behavior, location, appearance and prior contact with other groups of people (Harrell 1996:5–20). Taxonomies imposed by colonizing forces divided the aborigines into named subgroups, referred to as "tribes". These divisions did not always correspond to distinctions drawn by the aborigines themselves. However, the categories have become so firmly established in government and popular discourse over time that they have become de facto distinctions, serving to shape in part today's political discourse within the Republic of China (ROC), and affecting Taiwan's policies regarding indigenous peoples.

Four centuries of non-indigenous rule can be viewed through several changing periods of governing power and shifting official policy toward aborigines. From the 17th century until the early 20th, the impact of the foreign settlers—the Dutch, Spanish and Han—was more extensive on the Plains tribes. The latter were far more geographically accessible, and thus had more dealings with the foreign powers. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Plains tribes had largely been assimilated into contemporary Taiwanese culture as a result of European and Han colonial rule. Until the latter half of the Japanese colonial era the Mountain tribes were not entirely governed by any non-tribal polity. However, the mid-1930s marked a shift in the intercultural dynamic, as the Japanese began to play a far more dominant role in the culture of the Highland groups. This increased degree of control over the Mountain tribes continued during Kuomintang rule. Within these two broad eras, there were many differences in the individual and regional impact of the colonizers and their "civilizing projects". At times the foreign powers were accepted readily, as some tribes adopted foreign clothing styles and cultural practices (Harrison 2003), and engaged in cooperative trade in goods such as camphor, deer hides, sugar, tea and rice (Gold 1986:24–8). At numerous other times changes from the outside world were forcibly imposed.

Much of the historical information regarding Taiwan's aborigines was collected by these regimes in the form of administrative reports and gazettes as part of greater "civilizing" projects. The collection of information aided in the consolidation of administrative control.

TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan's acclaimed aboriginal war epic Seediq Bale will be screened in China next month, its director said on Tuesday, after concerns the film would not be approved for release by authorities. But the version to hit screens in China from May 10 will be cut short to 154 minutes, director Wei Te-sheng said, compared with the original two-part, four-and-a-half hour version that enraptured audiences in Taiwan last year. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale is based on the true story of Taiwan's indigenous headhunters who fought against Japanese colonial forces in the 1930s. Taiwan media reported previously that the movie's producer had been worried the film might not be approved by Chinese authorities as it could encourage uprisings by ethnic minority groups in regions like Tibet and Xinjiang.

"Resources for children in rural areas have long been limited, even though the resources in their hearts are abundant," Du said. "Every child has a dream, and it takes the encouragement, company and support of the public to help realize those dreams." Du said aboriginal children in rural villages face multiple challenges. Many have to walk or commute long distances to school, are subject to threats of natural disasters and are often raised by their grandparents after their parents have left the village to work in cities, he said. "Your help gave us support. Whenever I want to give up, I remind myself of the many people at World Vision Taiwan who have helped me," said 25-year-old A-sen, who has received funds from the charity for the past 13 years. A-sen, who was adopted by aboriginal parents at a young age, is now a graduate student in civil engineering.

This year, aboriginal singer Biung Tak-Banuaz and children from indigenous villages in central Taiwan have recorded an album called "A-Nei's Best Friends" to be sold beginning May to help raise funds for the campaign.