Aboriginal rights activists protested yesterday that they have been excluded from the country's history for too long, and called for school textbooks to be changed to include more information on the nation's original inhabitants.
"Most of the time we don't exist in Taiwanese history. In the few cases where Aborigines are mentioned, it's as if we can do nothing but sing and dance," said Melevlev (
Melevlev, a Paiwan Aboriginal, said that Aboriginal culture is largely ignored and, on average, accounts for no more than five percent of the content of school textbooks that the foundation examined.
The Awakening Foundation, which is dedicated to gender education, carried out the research on textbooks used by the first three grades of elementary schools.
Aside from the scarcity of material dedicated to Aboriginal lives and culture, the study also found misconceptions about Aboriginals in the few instances that they were mentioned in textbooks.
"It's full of stereotypes. Take the most obvious example, which is that Aboriginals are always portrayed as `happily singing and dancing.'" But I think our lives are about much more than just singing and dancing," Melevlev said.
"The mindset is that Aboriginals are always performing shows for Han people to see, which seems to portray us a freaks," she added.
Melevlev noted that Aboriginals do indeed use song and dance on certain occasions, but that the performances have a serious, ritualistic meaning, and that is very different from the perception that they are always "happily singing and dancing."
Moreover, the study also found non-Taiwanese Aboriginals are mentioned more often than Taiwan's Aboriginals in the textbooks for students aged between seven and 10.
"When it comes to multi-cultural subjects, they use Native Americans to illustrate ethnic diversity rather than the Aboriginals of Taiwan. I think our children probably know more about Native Americans than Taiwan's Aboriginals," Melevlev said.
The survey also found that not a single Aboriginal was employed to write and edit such textbooks.
Laya Namoh (啦亞?娜沐豪), a member of the foundation's board, also said that the ignorance of the authors and editors has resulted in inadequate student knowledge about Aboriginals.
"They never try to teach children just how Aboriginals are different from the Han. No wonder children in Taipei often think that the Aboriginals they bump into are foreigners," said Laya Namoh, an Ami.
There are nine Aboriginal tribes in Taiwan -- Saisiat, Bunun, Tsou, Rukai, Paiwan, Atayal, Ami, Puyuma and Tawu, and each of them has different cultures and languages.
"We are not all the same, just as not all people with blond hair are from the US," Laya Namoh said.
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