The Council of Indigenous Peoples yesterday celebrated Aboriginal Olympic athletes at an event to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
During the event, which also commemorates the 27th anniversary of the rectification of the official collective designation for Aborigines in Taiwan, Aboriginal athletes at the Tokyo Olympics said by video that they were “proud to be indigenous peoples.”
Tsou weightlifter Fang Wan-ling (方菀靈), Paiwan judo silver medalist Yang Yung-wei (楊勇緯) and Amis weightlifting gold medalist Kuo Hsing-chun (郭婞淳) all said they were proud of their Aboriginal identities.
Photo: Reuters
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in a video that she hoped that as Taiwanese “cheer on our athletes from Aboriginal communities, we should also learn about their history and culture, and appreciate the contributions that indigenous peoples make across society.”
Tsai highlighted the Olympic wins of boxer Chen Nien-chin (陳念琴), who said she was proud to be “a child of the Amis” community.
“Aborigines participated in and contributed to Taiwan’s transition to democracy, and have also achieved great things in government, industry, national defense and on the front line of our [COVID-19] pandemic response,” Tsai said. “These accomplishments should all be recognized and valued.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
After its founding in 1984, the council fought for official recognition of the term “indigenous peoples,” which it achieved on April 10, 1994, when then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) used the term at a meeting on indigenous peoples’ cultures held in Pingtung County, the council said.
The Constitution was amended to include the term on Aug. 1 that year, it said, adding that prior to that the Constitution had used the term shanbao (山胞, “mountain compatriots”), which had racist connotations.
The Constitution was then amended once more on July 18, 1997, to recognize the collective rights of Aborigines, it said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“The recognition put an end to 400 years of discriminatory terms used to refer to Taiwan’s indigenous peoples,” Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod said.
It was followed by the enactment of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act (原住民族基本法) in 2005, and by Tsai’s apology in 2016 to Aborigines for historical injustices, he added.
There has since been progress on issues such as recognition of Aboriginal languages, land rights and education, he said.
“I invite Taiwanese to join us on this Indigenous Peoples’ Day in reflecting on these hard-won achievements, and in looking toward the next milestones,” he added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said in a statement that Aboriginal athletes’ Olympic wins have made Taiwan’s Aboriginal communities proud, and have brought a shared sense of glory and honor to all Taiwanese.
Chiang added that the Tsai administration had not made progress on legislation that would bring greater autonomy, as well as land and sea rights, to Aborigines.
The governments of former presidents Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) sent bills on Aboriginal rights to the legislature during their terms, Chiang said.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng
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