A long-simmering struggle regarding hunting restrictions placed on Aborigines came to a head on Friday, when the Council of Grand Justices ruled that some laws were unconstitutional. While this would contribute toward safeguarding Aboriginal rights, advocates have said that it is not enough.
The ruling also does not help the case of Tama Talum, a Bunun hunter who was arrested eight years ago for using an illegally modified firearm and hunting a protected species. The case caused an outcry against modern restrictions that have been eroding traditional ways of life. These began with the 1989 Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), which essentially banned all hunting. It was not until 2004 that amendments allowed Aborigines to hunt for cultural or ritualistic purposes.
However, few applied for hunting permits due to complicated procedures that often contravened traditional practices, leading to a general misunderstanding and stigmatization of Aboriginal hunting rituals.
Some groups still accuse Aborigines of causing environmental damage and reducing the population of wild animals — while the real culprits are rampant commercial development and habitat destruction.
Aborigines know this and often emphasize conservation when working with the government toward self-regulated hunting, where they would establish their own rules and issue permits to eligible candidates who have undergone extensive training.
When 26 communities signed the Taiwan Aboriginal Hunter Declaration (獵人宣言) in November last year, they vowed to follow traditional and sustainable practices, and to work with the rest of society.
Besides the law, there are many rituals, taboos and a great deal of traditional knowledge that go into hunting. Hunting rights are a means to preserve Aboriginal cultures and ways of life, and thus must follow traditions — including not taking more than what is needed from the forest.
Aborigines also pledged to fight for hunting safety — namely the right to use standard-issue rifles. Currently, they are only allowed to use homemade guns, which are dangerous and have caused injuries.
The constitutional interpretation only asks the authorities to regulate gun safety and possibly provide parts. That is a far cry from what advocates wanted. How the government plans to ensure the safety of these outdated weapons also remains to be seen.
The council overturned parts of legislation that forbade unplanned hunting and required people to notify authorities of a hunt five days in advance.
Aborigines also no longer have to submit beforehand the number of animals they plan to take. This is crucial, as not only was the law inflexible, it also went against tradition: Many Aborigines believe that each encounter is determined by fate, and that the gods will get angry and deny them the bounty if they decide how many animals to kill beforehand.
The council also determined that the animals must not be used for commercial purposes and must not include protected species, except under special circumstances. These circumstances should be carefully delineated.
Research has shown that responsible hunting has little impact on animal populations. Yet, not regulating the hunting of protected species seems to go against modern practices.
While this is the first time that the council has recognized Aboriginal hunting as “a cultural right that should be protected,” advocates are not happy over the gun restrictions, and that Tama Talum and others charged with similar offenses are still considered criminals, which does not help remove the stigma around the issue.
More dialogue and discussions are needed to reach an agreement that satisfies all parties. Hopefully, the positive aspects of the ruling, coupled with the steady progress toward self-regulated hunting, will expedite that process.
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry