Passing the Baton: Speaking Out for Communities

Before the 1990s, a long-standing neglect of indigenous peoples’ ethnic status meant that Taiwan had never seen a clear government policy on indigenous rights. Indigenous peoples took to the streets to dismantle barriers brought by state and mainstream society. They claimed the rights that were their due, and established their status and collective rights. ......

From Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Right Advocacy Association to Thao Cultural Development Association, Panu Lhkapamumu has spent his life fighting for the rights of indigenous peoples in Taiwan. At 60 years old, he is still full of life with eyes gleaming at the mention of indigenous affairs, “I have dedicated my life to indigenous peoples in Taiwan.”

After the rapidly moving age of indigenous movements, buka．makakaruwang left everything behind and returned to his indigenous community. From the hot-headed youth carrying a coffin in protest, he turned to work for the church for almost two decades. Now he is the indigenous language promoter in his community, taking elders and children on a journey of learning to use their own language again, and retrieving the culture and dignity of their people.

34 years ago, in the significant march against child prostitution in Taiwan, Kawlo Malay called out heartily in Pangcah language to sisters in the dark alleys. After the march, the society confronted the issue of child prostitution and pushed for legal amendment to protect children and youth rights, thus finally ending the tragedy for female youth.

Despite totally blind in both eyes, Malieyafusi Monaneng sees more clearly than anyone the plight of the disadvantaged situation indigenous peoples is in. He aims straight at the center of issues with his poetry, and experienced the turbulent age in the era of indigenous movement by taking part in the establishment of Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Right Advocacy Association and convening the indigenous community squad. To this day, he still speaks up for indigenous peoples.

s a non-indigenous photographer who has all the updates on various indigenous friends, his mobile phone is filled with messages of recent conversations. Huang Tzu-Ming has been photographing indigenous issues for over 30 years. He has thousands of pictures describing the development of indigenous peoples and how much he cares.

“Return my land!” “Give us our life back.” “Stop calling us ‘savages’!” “We do not need your sympathy, but to take us seriously.” These slogans of the indigenous movements in the 1980’s have demonstrated that indigenous peoples back then only asked for their basic human rights from the government and the society. Different from the diversity and convenience in the modern digitalised world, how did the indigenous movement activists 40 years ago organise people and develop social movement? Let us have a look!

The “Three Generations Theory of Human Rights” proposed by the French scholar Karel Vasak is known for dividing human rights into three separate generations based on the development of human rights: 1. civil and political rights; 2. economic, social and cultural rights; and 3. developmental and environmental rights, rights of solidarity, and the right to peace. Here the rights of solidarity, also known as collective rights or group rights, refer to those rights that are enjoyed by virtue of sharing a collective identity, such as women’s rights, children’s rights, and minority rights. ...

They are often regarded as politically indifferent, but when faced with the government’s inability to quickly respond to changing social values, the new generation has become ever more enthusiastic about public affairs. The Wenlin Yuan urban renewal project, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and the death of Hung Chung-Chiu have catalyzed a wave of street-level student and social movements that pursue equality and justice...

The Indigenous Youth Front is composed of indigenous youths approximately between the ages of 20 and 35 years old. This extremely flexible organization does not have a rigid operation structure and has become an important platform for indigenous youth to connect with companions who have similar ideas and magnify their voices in society.

The Taitung Bunun Youth (TBY) was established by a group of twentysomething Bunun youths in 2015. The organization is mainly composed of young people. Going beyond Bunun traditions, Taitung Bunun Youth sets up a conversation platform for the modern Bunun youth and helps the younger generation relearn their own culture.

Compared to LGBTQ in general, indigenous LGBTQ are more afraid of being seen. Fearless of social opinion, Taiwan Indigenous LGBTQ Alliance (TILA) steps forward courageously, giving many the courage they need. They build a place where “the minority of the minority” can understand and support one another and feel at ease.