Most of us are aware that there are at least nine indigenous peoples in Taiwan, an impression derived from the name of the famous indigenous theme park in Nantou, central Taiwan. Some may even know that currently, the number of officially recognized indigenous peoples has increased to sixteen. Furthermore, those concerned about ethnic issues would be aware that at the end of October of this year, the ruling has been made in response to the Siraya’s petition for a constitutional interpretation regarding their indigenous identity. The Taiwan Plains Indigenous Peoples are eligible to apply to the government for ethnic recognition. But the question is how many subgroups are there in the Taiwan Plains Indigenous Peoples? Where are they located? They could be ordinary people around you and me, but we know nothing about them at all.
Based in the Ailan area, Puli, the people of Pazeh is one of the subgroups of the above-mentioned peoples in central Taiwan. In this issue, the cartoonist Adoor takes a journey to the hometown of the Pazeh and meets a group of local villagers. After an authentic meal and a lecture on the Pazeh’s history, her original impression that there is not much distinction between the Taiwan Plains Indigenous Peoples and the Non-indigenous people has been overturned. The two ethnic groups are indeed quite different!
Note: “Kahna mapansuhsuh”means “Resettlement” in Bunun.
Reading
Adoor Opening the Door
The Pazeh in Ailan, Puli,
Self-Taught Knowledge
You Cannot Learn in School
Looking Into Traditional
We are Still Here!
Cultural Diversity isn’t Just A Slogan,
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