President Tsai Ing-wen (left) listens as Capen Nganaen of the Yami tribe from Lanyu Island delivers an address on behalf of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples at the Office of the President Aug. 1 in Taipei City.
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Speaking to representatives from 16 recognised native tribes, she said Taiwan had to face “the truth” to move forward “as a country of one people”.
“The apology was well said and very touching, but her proposals for action don’t meet our expectations”, said Mayaw Biho, an indigenous activist from the Amis tribe, who had camped out overnight.
The president of Taiwan has apologized for her country’s treatment of aboriginal people.
Tsai also announced the establishment of a Presidential Office “commission for historical and transitional justice”, which she is to head. “Many younger indigenous people are unaware of their own cultural and linguistic traditions”.
Tsai then greeted them at the entrance of the Presidential Office Building and invited them in, where a Bunun blessing ceremony was held and prayers were offered by six Christian priests of Aboriginal heritage.
Other indigenous activists said they had expected more in terms of policy.
Much of their land is now designated national park, leading to clashes over hunting, fishing and foraging in areas where permits are needed. They were robbed, enslaved and killed by the Dutch colonials, mainlanders during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and later the Japanese Imperial Army. When Han settlers from mainland China began arriving in the 17th century, indigenous peoples, particularly those on Taiwan’s western plains, faced assimilation, loss of land and outright violence.
Her paternal grandmother was from the Paiwan indigenous tribe and she had promised an apology during the election campaign.
Taiwanese aborigines were hoping hoping that Tsai’s presidency would lead to better treatment of their communities.
Aboriginals have also complained of developments on their ancestral land, which campaigners say make up two-thirds of the island, were approved without seeking their views.
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The fourth task is to push to adopt United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Aboriginal Peoples and related worldwide human rights conventions.
