Three people in the indigenous communities of Djumulj (賓茂) and Rulakes (壢坵) in Taimali Township (太麻里), Taitung County, recently died from food poisoning, while several others are still in hospital. The victims ate steamed millet rice balls containing snail meat, and instant noodles and pork.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare issued a report that said that terbufos — an organophosphate used in many insecticides and nematicides — was found in the food remnants.
The tests showed that no other toxins were in the snail flesh and leaves, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said. The food tested positive for terbufos, but the source remains unclear. The test results were handed over to investigation units for further testing.
Forensic doctor Kao Ta-cheng (大成根) said the snails are not the smoking gun in the case, and that there are other factors at play.
Aside from the need for a swift clarification on the toxin’s origins, school principal and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Saidhai Tahovecahe, known for speaking out on indigenous peoples’ issues, wasted no time calling out contentious issues regarding this case.
The Internet is full of misconceptions and campaigns to smear indigenous peoples’ dining habits and customs, she said.
When this story broke, people brought up a news story from 39 years ago about the Kimlan Foods Corp food poisoning case, when five members of the company founder’s family died from nematode-carried Angiostrongylus cantonensis infections after eating raw snails. Some news outlets also mentioned this case, but false conclusions were drawn in Internet discussions trying to tie together the two cases.
For instance, the Kimlan victims were not indigenous, but Han Taiwanese who were duped into following a dangerous health fad.
Meanwhile, indigenous elders often warn younger community members that snail meat must be fully cooked in a complicated multistep process before being consumed.
So, when anonymous people on the Internet said that “indigenous peoples have a habit of eating raw snails,” this is utterly false and is an intentional distortion and smear.
Raw snail meat has never been a part of indigenous peoples’ food culture.
I have been well-acquainted for more than 30 years with several people concerned with health and welfare education of indigenous peoples’ communities, including Liu Ying-mei (劉影梅), a doctor who has worked tirelessly in this area. Liu has focused on indigenous health topics and created a well-thought-out university social responsibility plan called “community stars” (部落之星). Liu also composed “medicine and health” and “healthy diet” songs to help indigenous communities better monitor and improve community health outcomes.
She has repeatedly said that each campaign uses “a level of cultural sensitivity” as a premise, and travels directly to tribal community areas across Taiwan to talk with residents. Unlike others, Liu conducts local surveys and does not rush to apply labels or propose inappropriate policies by parachuting into a community to offer well-intentioned, but ignorant suggestions without knowing anything about the indigenous community’s circumstances.
The food poisoning case in a Taitung indigenous community is no different. Once again, it shows that much of society is prejudiced against indigenous people, including their eating habits. Taiwan needs to quickly develop an educational system that teaches cultural sensitivity.
Knight Chang is a political commentator and holds a doctorate degree in education.
Translated by Tim Smith
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