Fifty years after it was renamed to conform to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) political ideology, local councilors in Sanmin Township (三民), Kaohsiung County, yesterday unanimously voted for a new Aboriginal name for the township, effective Jan. 1.
"The seven-member township council has ... unanimously agreed to change the township name to Namasiya Township (那瑪夏)," Mayor Husong Istanda told the Taipei Times in a telephone interview.
"Namasiya" is a southern Tsou Aboriginal name for the Nanzihsian River (
"Our ancestors called this place Namasiya, after the river, more than a hundred years ago," Husong said.
The three villages will also have their original names restored: Nanisaru (
Home to Aborigines of the Bunun and southern Tsou tribes, Sanmin was called Mayatsun under the Japanese rule and then Maya Township (
A similar process took place in Kaohsiung County's two other Aboriginal townships, now called Taoyuan (
The three villages in the township were renamed Mintsu ("nationalism," 民族), Minchuan ("democracy," 民權) and Minsheng ("livelihood," 民生) at the same time.
In recent years, locals have discussed the viability of changing the name, but there was disagreement on which one the township should adopt.
"Although we all knew that our ancestors called this place Namasiya, the only name we could find on written documents was `Maya Township,'" Husong said. "So we planned to use the name `Maya Township' at first -- but many residents objected."
A 34-member name restoration commission then looked for a way to resolve the dispute, Husong said.
"Finally, the commission found historical documents dating back to the Qing Dynasty with the name `Namasiya' written on them," Hu said.
"As everybody agreed on the name, we submitted it [to the township council]." he said.
The Democratic Progressive Party-controlled Kaohsiung County Government has supported the move, though the residents of Sanmin Township, like other Aboriginal townships, have been strong supporters of KMT candidates in national elections.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS