There is an Atayal word, spiyang, that refers to behavior that is inappropriate or wrong, but which a person continues to do nevertheless. As I watched the inauguration of the 14th president of the Republic of China (ROC) on May 20, I really did get the sense there was little of the regimented, bureaucratic felt in previous years.
For Aborigines who have been subjected to colonial rule and feel they have not been respected, this year’s event, with different — read non-Han Chinese — ethnic groups and cultures, people from all walks of life, new immigrants — “foreigners” — and Aborigines alike all represented, was certainly a welcome break from the past.
However, during the proceedings, there were two points in the Taiwan zhi guang (“the glories of Taiwan,” 台灣之光) section that were questionable. In the first part about the good fortune of the Aborigines and their rich culture, the narrator said foreign missionaries changed Aborigines’ rather uncivilized conventions, in what was a clearly prejudiced view of Aboriginal culture, together with a misunderstanding of what the missionaries were here for.
All cultures are equal. There is no “better” or “worse” culture. Such a viewpoint has no place in a democratic, civilized nation.
The second part, dealing with Japanese colonial rule, spoke only of the negative aspects of that period. It depicted Japanese invading and suppressing the local populace, but mentioned nothing of the infrastructure Japanese gave Taiwanese. Japanese laid down much of the foundations of Taiwan’s national progress — in agriculture, medicine, arts and literature, education, science and transportation — and these things should have been represented. Surely the omissions were disrespectful to the more than 100 Japanese dignitaries in attendance.
Regarding mentions of Aborigines in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inaugural address — including re-evaluating Aboriginal history, moving toward autonomy, restoring Aboriginal language and culture and improving people’s lives — it was entirely commendable and worth applauding.
Whether this translates into how the government approaches Aboriginal affairs, and how it develops its policy on education, economics, culture and politics, on all levels of government and in the mountain communities remains to be seen. People must keep an eye on how things progress in that regard.
The government will have to exhibit an entirely new level of commitment and approach to the issues, compared with previous governments, in its first 100 days in power. Hopefully it will, but that does not mean people intend to just sit by to see if the government improves.
It will take Taiwan’s Aborigines working in concert with other nationalities before they see a new dawn. That also means that the nation as a whole needs to face up to the violence the state has visited upon Aborigines and offer an apology.
For Taiwan, it does not matter which party is in control. As far as Aborigines are concerned, they will always be seen as something “other” to the Han Chinese population. If people cannot get beyond stereotypes the nation simply can not achieve true ethnic integration or justice and freedom for everyone.
If Taiwan is to become a free, democratic nation founded on human rights, where justice and compassion reign, Taiwanese have to rectify how they view Aborigines, who have historically been at the wrong end of state violence, and reflect on and change the improper and ill-advised policy toward Aborigines. This will be one of the main bellwethers by which the government will be evaluated.
Omi Wilang is a pastor at the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and secretary-general of the Indigenous Peoples’ Action Coalition of Taiwan.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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