As the New Year break draws near, Aborigines from Nantou County’s Renai Township have been begging the county government to grant their people living in other parts of Taiwan a holiday on Dec. 31 so that they can go home to be with their families during the New Year. Nantou County Aboriginal Administration Director Chang Tzu-hsiao says that, since Han Chinese can enjoy a long holiday during the Lunar New Year, he will urge lawmakers to revise the law to allow Aborigines to have a New Year break from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2 so that they can go home to spend time with their families.
There are 16 Aboriginal peoples as currently recognized by the government, namely the Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Tao, Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Sakizaya, Sediq, Hla’alua and Kanakanavu. According to anniversary and holiday regulations laid out by the Ministry of the Interior, Aboriginal people can enjoy a day off each year for their traditional festivals. Different peoples have their festivals on different days, and some festivals take place during a period of time rather than on the same specific dates every year. For example, the Bunun’s Malahodaigian festival is determined by negotiations between Bunun people from all the villages to select a Friday in May, because having a Friday off allows them to enjoy a long weekend. As for the Amis people, it is after each village decides the period of time between July and August each year to hold its Ilisin festival that local governments announce the holidays.
However, the festivals are not necessarily held on the same days as the New Year for all Aboriginal peoples. Recently, Aborigines from Renai Township petitioned government officials such as Nantou County Aboriginal Administration Director Chang Tzu-hsiao to allow workers from their township to return home to spend the New Year, preferably by granting them a New Year break beginning on Dec. 31 so that they can go home for a family reunion dinner.
Photo: Chen Feng-li, Taipei Times
照片:自由時報陳鳳麗攝
Chang explains that the Atayal and Sediq peoples in Renai Township both celebrate the New Year on Jan. 1. The Sediq people have a day off on Dec. 31, which they can use to travel back home to spend the New Year. However, the Atayal people have a traditional festival on the last Friday in August, so they cannot have a day off to go home on Dec. 31. Chang will speak to the Council of Indigenous Peoples about this issue and also ask legislators to revise the law so that Aborigines can have a long New Year break.
Tunkan Tansikian, Deputy Minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples and himself a Bunun, says that having days off during traditional festivals is culturally meaningful for Aboriginal people, but it is debatable whether some Aboriginal peoples can be granted another day off for the New Year. After all, different peoples have different customs, so it is hard to meet all their needs. To do that, a consensus must first be reached among the various peoples.
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
Photo courtesy of ARS Film Production
照片:果子電影提供
元旦假期將至,南投縣仁愛鄉原住民向南投縣府請命,盼在異鄉的族人能從十二月卅一日起休假返鄉過年團聚。南投原民局長張子孝表示,漢族春節有連假,會力促立委協助修法,將十二月卅一日到元月二日定為原住民過年休假日,以便返家團聚。
目前經政府認定的原住民族有十六族:阿美族、泰雅族、排灣族、布農族、卑南族、魯凱族、鄒族、賽夏族、達悟族、邵族、噶瑪蘭族、太魯閣族、撒奇萊雅族、賽德克族、拉阿魯哇族、卡那卡那富族。依內政部訂定紀念日及節日之實施辦法,原住民族每年傳統祭儀可放假一天。各族日期不同,有的祭儀是在某段時間,而非特定某日。比如布農族的射耳祭便是經過族內協調後,選在五月某個星期五所舉辦的,如此也有連假的效果。阿美族則是每年七、八月各部落排好各地的豐年祭時間後,再由地方政府公告。
但歲時祭儀放假日未必是原住民的過年。最近有仁愛鄉原住民向南投縣府原民局長張子孝等人請命,希望該鄉原住民勞工能在元旦回家過年,最好十二月卅一日就能放假,以便回到家裡跟家人吃團圓飯。
張子孝解釋,仁愛鄉的泰雅族與賽德克族都是元旦過年,賽德克族放假日是十二月卅一日,可銜接元旦返鄉。但泰雅族歲時祭儀放假日是八月的最後一個禮拜五,因此族人無法在十二月卅一日放假返鄉團聚。他會向原民會反映,也會向立委陳情,盼透過修法,讓原住民也享有過年連假的待遇。
本身是布農族的原民會副主委陳張培倫表示,歲時祭儀放假,具有族群文化上的意義,但部分族群的年節是否要再另多放一天假,值得商榷,畢竟各族習俗不同,很難面面俱到,前提是族群內部要有共識。
(自由時報記者陳鳳麗、黃邦平/綜合報導)
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