The Academia Sinica yesterday showcased results from its five decades of research on Aboriginal cultures as well as ongoing projects that will be used as a reference in formulating Aboriginal policies.
Founded in 1955, the Institute of Ethnology at the academia focuses on anthropological studies on Aboriginal cultures and societies.
Items on display yesterday included research papers, collections from the institute's museum, documentaries and translated materials from field investigation reports on Aboriginal societies and cultures written by the Japanese.
The institute also discussed two ongoing projects, one of which involves research on social changes and evaluation of Aboriginal policies.
"This research project was started in March last year and is expected to be completed by the end of this year," said Kuo Yu-min (郭玉敏), an official at the institute.
Results from the research will be used as a reference for the formulation of Aboriginal policies, the institute said.
"Our project's objective is to compare Taiwan's Aboriginal policies ... to changes and developments in other countries' Aboriginal policies. We will then forward our suggestions to the government," project leader and institute director Huang Shu-min (
Another project started five years ago under the leadership of Hu Tai-li (
"Videotapes, films, cassettes and more than 15,000 pictures that we have collected since 1984 will be digitalized in the next five years," Hu said.
Hu also plans to record themes such as Aboriginal rituals, music, dances and traditional construction methods in digital format.
"Promoting cultural diversity and respect for minorities is an important global trend," Huang added.
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