Despite its official listing as part of a cultural site and strong opposition from local residents, Baode Temple (保德宮), the main religious center of what is perhaps the only remaining Ketagalan Aboriginal community in Taipei City, was torn down yesterday by demolition workers, protected by police.
“We’re not leaving! We’re not doing anything wrong! We’re here to defend the temple!” residents from the Fanzaicuo (番仔厝) community — administratively known as Fengnian Borough (豐年里) — in Beitou District (北投) shouted.
The protesters stood in front of the altar as police tried to clear the way for workers to flatten the temple, while dozens of other residents filled the temple.
PHOTO:LOA IOK-SIN, TAIPEI TIMES
When the residents refused to leave, police officers removed them by force, sparking clashes.
After realizing that their protest would not sway authorities, the residents asked to be able to remove statues of immortals and other sacred items from the temple.
“We are here to demolish the building so we can return the plot of land to its owner [Shixin Senior High School],” said Wang Pen-yuan (王本源), an official from the Shilin District Court, who oversaw the demolition process. “This is based on a verdict handed down in court and the case is closed.”
PHOTO: LOA IOK-SIN, TAIPEI TIMES.
Admitting that the land belongs to the school, borough chief Cheng Kuo-hua (鄭國華) said the school had agreed to let them use the land decades ago.
“Unfortunately, we trusted their oral promise and did not sign any documents. As such, we can’t really do anything legally against the decision to take back the land,” Cheng said. “However, I don’t understand why they can’t wait a few days to give us time to take care of everything before taking back the land.”
Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs declared the community a “cultural site” in 2008 because of its “historical background.” However, a department official, Michael Teng (鄧文宗), said yesterday the declaration only covered religious statues and items inside the temple, “not the temple itself.”
Although the Ketagalan once inhabited most flat areas from Taoyuan to the northeast coast, Fanzaicuo is probably the only Ketagalan community to have retained its tribal identity in Taipei today.
The name of the community, Fanzaicuo, means “House of the Savages” in Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese). In the past, the term fanzai, or “savage,” was commonly used in Hoklo to describe Aborigines or foreigners.
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