The Tao people of Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) are concerned they might fall afoul of the law after the Ocean Affairs Council tentatively listed clams they use to make a traditional substance as a protected species.
The council on Monday last week included seven types of giant clams (Tridacninae) in a conservation policy forecast: Hippopus porcellanus; Tridacna crocea; Tridacna derasa; the giant clam Tridacna gigas; the small giant clam Tridacna maxima; Noah’s giant clam, Tridacna noae; and the fluted giant clam, Tridacna squamosa.
However, Tao told the Taitung County Government that they traditionally use the shells of the clams to create a substance they call mabcik, adding that the process of making mabcik was last year recognized as a traditional wisdom of indigenous people.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
The Tao are concerned that making mabcik might cause them to contravene laws, Lanyu County Councilor Huang Pi-mei (黃碧妹) said.
The Fushan (富山) maritime zone stretching to Green Island (綠島) and Orchid Island are considered the natural habitats of the Tridacninae, and the council’s policy forecast has confirmed this, Taitung County Agriculture Department Director Hsu Chia-hao (許家豪) said.
However, as this is still a policy forecast, the county government would convey the Tao’s concerns to the council, Hsu said.
Mabcik is often used as a pigment to color ipanitika, an accompanying food consumed when chewing betel nuts and used to cure diseases or exorcise evil spirits.
Mabcik can only be made in October, with strict guidelines on the location and time.
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