Impatient with the Council of Indigenous Peoples’ (CIP) response to Pingpu Aborigines’ demand for recognition, activist Lin Sheng-yi (林勝義), a Pingpu from the Ketagalan tribe, yesterday urged the government to create a separate ministry to handle Pingpu affairs.
“I don’t know why is it so hard for the CIP to officially recognize the Pingpu as Aborigines,” Lin told a news conference in Taipei. “The Pingpu have been considered indigenous peoples by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues since 1994 and we’ve always been active in Aboriginal movements — why is it so hard to recognize us as Aborigines?”
“The council is controlled by Aborigines living in the mountains. We demand that the government create a separate agency for the Pingpu,” he said.
Pingpu (平埔) — or “flat lands” — is a term widely used to describe Aborigines who once inhabited most of lowland areas around the country.
The Ketagalan were the first inhabitants of northern Taiwan, with their historical tribal area stretching from Taoyuan County to the Greater Taipei area and parts of Yilan County.
With the arrival of Han immigrants from China, most of the Pingpu were either driven off their own lands or they gradually assimilated into the immigrant communities.
Like other Aborigines, many Pingpu were officially recognized as Aborigines until the 1950s, but they then lost their status because of a failure to register their ethnic status with the government.
In recent decades, many Pingpu have been active in participating in the Aboriginal rights movement, as well as in the campaign to restore official recognition of their ethnic status.
The council has been reluctant to give an immediate, positive response to the Pingpu campaign. However, earlier this year, Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Sun Ta-chuan (孫大川) resurrected a Pingpu commission within the council — which was first started by the Democratic Progressive Party, but allowed to expire by former council chief Chang Jen-hsiang (章仁香) — to work on resolving the issue.
Lin is equally unhappy with the Pingpu commission.
“What good could a commission with an annual budget of only NT$1 million[US$31,400] do? What could the 12 Pingpu commission members really do within a council that does not recognize the Pingpu?” Lin asked.
Lin’s call for a separate Pingpu affairs agency did not win support from most other Pingpu activists.
“We’re not happy with the council’s slow responses to our demands, but we’re Aborigines, so of course our business is the council’s business,” Kahavu Cultural Association executive director Aylian Hsiao (蕭愛蓮) told the Taipei Times by telephone. “I would not oppose having a separate agency for Pingpu, but it definitely is not my first choice.”
The Kahavu are a Pingpu Aboriginal tribe living in Nantou County’s Puli Towship (埔里).
Head of Tainan County Alliance of Siraya Communities, Tuan Hung-kun (段洪坤), who is also the deputy convener of the council’s Pingpu commission, said he would never have asked for a separate Pingpu agency.
“The Pingpu are Aborigines, we should always stand with our Aboriginal brothers and sisters,” he said. “We’re fighting for our ethnic identity, not for a cultural identity.”
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
RSS