Wed, Dec 13, 2000 page8

• Pay attention to Aboriginal customs

  • By Pu Chung-cheng 浦忠成
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  In Taiwan's Aboriginal societies, hunting has always been an important means of production and for many, an essential part of their cultures. Therefore, it is unacceptable that, when it comes to wildlife preservation and the protection of animals, the Aboriginal peoples must bear the cross of being "destroyers."

  In the past, hunting trips were not only searches for meat but also patrols to safeguard territories against invasions by other tribes. A humble and dignified attitude, divination and observation of the environment became foremost disciplines for hunters. They had to follow basic rules such as stopping hunting in spring and summer to allow the animals to breed and growing trees in areas where landslides had occurred.

  Aboriginal hunting in the past was not just chasing animals and setting up traps. It was a solid manifestation of Aboriginal beliefs and ways of life, including religion, preservation of the land, distribution of resources, tribal discipline and taboos. Centuries of Aboriginal hunting and land reclamation did not drive Taiwan's wildlife into extinction, nor have any other serious consequences such as extensive mudslides. The killing of endangered species -- behavior that has become a target of international derision -- is not an inherently Aboriginal way.

  Aboriginal peoples are now being asked to give up their hunting cultures because hunting is seen as "barbarous" or "inimical to wildlife preservation." But do the bloody scenes at fishing ports and slaughterhouses lead people to give up eating meat? Extensive development, road construction and the Forestry Bureau's self-righteous planting of a single type of tree in one area, are the true culprits behind the shrinking wildlife habitat. Such destruction is not possible through crude home-made guns that take 10 minutes to fire one shot.

  Certainly, there are some hunting activities that are out of control. These activities run counter to traditional Aboriginal hunting practices, but they can also be traced back to the time when the state forcibly occupied the traditional Aboriginal abodes without the collective consent of the people and designated the areas as state-owned or public land. Aboriginal farmland was designated as forest preserves, forcing Aboriginal people to give up vast areas of hunting, fishing and food-gathering grounds. Such pilfering made it very difficult for the Aboriginal peoples to maintain their traditional livelihoods.

  In the mid-1960s, the Aboriginal peoples were pushed into a mainstream manufacturing-consumption mechanism that trampled them economically. To survive, they had to ignore the tribal taboos and ethics. They had to fight each other for farming and hunting resources.

  This was an important factor leading to the destruction of Aboriginal customs.

  On top of this, the government ignored the existence of former Aboriginal abodes in national park areas and outlawed entry into them. As a result, Aboriginal people were no longer able to enter their traditional hunting grounds. Those more mischievous among them then arbitrarily set their own territories and no longer respected the original masters of the hunting grounds. Shrouded by layers of laws and regulations and pressured by commercial considerations, the Aboriginal peoples had to give up their traditional hunting rules. However, most of the commercial activities and the sources of profit come from the ethnic Han vendors of wild animal meat and other wildlife products.

  This chain of behavior is identical to that of tree poachers, better known as "mountain rats." But the Aboriginal "small rats," who only get a measly share of profits in this business chain, are the usual targets of vitriol.

  In recent years, more restrictions have been imposed on Aboriginal hunting and fishing activities. The restrictions on hunting make the essential inheritance of important rituals impossible. On the other hand, if we simply let the Aboriginal peoples leave their traditional abodes and the forests, they will completely lose the experience and wisdom of being connected to their land. Even the latest wildlife and environmental know-how will not be able to make up for this loss. Perhaps a little more affection and respect could be shown toward the Aboriginal hunting experience and knowledge that have been practiced on this island for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. The cement factories wantonly mining for minerals could also adopt the Aboriginal attitudes toward their land and their preservation of the ecology. We should not forget that many examples of successful wildlife preservation work were set by Aboriginal peoples.

  The debate on hunting cultures should fall back on the idea of cultural pluralism. If we can bring unrestrained hunting behavior back under control by amending the relevant laws and regulations, and also restore Aboriginal ethics (such as the Tsou [鄒] tribe's abstinence from hunting black bears, the Rukai [魯凱] tribe's reverence for the clouded leopard, hunting only in fall and winter, abstinence from using rope traps, the practice of divination -- including the interpretation of dreams and bird sounds) then we can give rise to a new, disciplined hunting culture.

  The most effective way to love wildlife and protect the ecology is to stop road construction across green areas, stop building unnecessary dams, ban mining activities, reduce betel nut farming, punish the vendors of hunted game, build fish channels across check dams and similar measures. These measures will prove more proactive.

  Pu Chung-cheng is an associate professor at the Taipei Municipal Teachers College.

  Translated by Francis Huang
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