wfn.org | TCN: Pingpu natives protest for restoration of their aboriginal status

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>2992 Edition

>June 29~July 5, 2009

Pingpu natives protest for restoration of their aboriginal status

>Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

>Written by Lydia Ma

25 Pingpu natives from Tainan presbytery’s Kau-Pi Church  joined other Pingpu

natives in Taipei on June 24 to stage a protest against the  government's refusal to

>recognize the Pingpu people as aboriginals.

The protest was held at the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP)  and is part of a

"name-rectifying campaign". Protesters joined Pingpu delegates Uma  Talavan and

Hsiao Aylian, who were already conducting a sit-in protest there.

Besides confronting the CIP for deliberately misinterpreting laws  so that Pingpu

natives would not be allowed to restore their aboriginal names and  status, these

protesters also blasted President Ma Ying-jeou for his hypocrisy  toward Pingpu

natives despite signing international conventions on human rights.

According to Siraya Cultural Association CEO Uma Talavan who is a  member of

Kau-Pi Presbyterian Church, Pingpu natives who used to live in the  flat land regions

are no less native than aboriginals who used to live in reserves  or in the mountains.

It is a tragedy that today’s Pingpu natives must continually  beg the national

government to restore their aboriginal identity and rights, and an  affront to

>Taiwanese democracy as well.

In response to protests, CIP Deputy Minister Watan Kiso defended  his agency by

saying the CIP had already passed motions to the legislature to  restore previous

legislations and budgets promoting Pingpu culture and languages  and the issue

was studied by the national legislature, which had delegated the  issue to the

>Council for Cultural Affairs.

Watan Kiso’s response ignited uproar as protesters condemned  the CIP for faking

concern and refusing to recognize Pingpu natives as aboriginals.  They also fired up

"bamboo cannons", which used to be one of Pingpu people's  traditional weapons,

as a symbolic gesture to blow up the CIP and demonstrate  dissatisfaction.

Joining protesters was DPP legislator Tien Chiu-chin who is also a  Christian.

Commenting on Watan Kiso’s remarks, Tien pointed out the  legislature’s views

would mirror the KMT’s views as the party occupies 75% of  seats in the national

assembly. In other words, there shouldn’t be any challenges  in helping Pingpu

aborigines regain their status if KMT members were willing.  Furthermore, the only

person with enough power to solve all of these problems is  President Ma, who will

soon become KMT’s chairman, because he can influence KMT  legislators.

Therefore, the heart of the problem lies in Ma and KMT  legislators’ willingness.

According to one PCT Tayal Presbytery leader, the rights of  aboriginal people

under the Ma administration have quickly deteriorated and fallen  short of UN

Declaration of Aboriginal Rights. This administration even removed  draft legislation

on aboriginal self-rule begun by the previous administration.  Though it has

highlighted zoning issues for cities and counties in Taiwan,  aboriginal autonomous

zones have never been included in discussions – another sign  that President Ma

plans to renege his campaign promises to aborigines. Therefore, it  is unlikely that

Pingpu natives will be recognized by the Ma administration as  aborigines.

However, Tayal Presbytery will continue to support Pingpu  aborigines in this matter

>because of its religious convictions.

According to Hsiao Aylian, an aboriginal leader who participated  in the sit-in

protest with Uma Talavan, the problem is twofold because not only  are young

people in Taiwan unaware of the existence of Pingpu tribes, the Ma  administration

is preventing official recognition of Pingpu aborigines.

What angers Hsiao most is that during campaigns before last  year’s presidential

elections, Ma and KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung had visited her  hometown in Puli,

met with her people from Kahavu tribe (one of the many tribes that  make up Pingpu

aborigines), and promised to allow Pingpu to rectify their  aboriginal names once

elected. At the time, both leaders even signed their names in an  agreement

prepared by Kahavu leaders. However, the Ma administration is  making an about-

face now and denying that Pingpu are also aborigines.

According to Hsiao, many Pingpu aborigines in her area have gone  to Puli

municipal government offices to restore their names and aboriginal  status but were

denied on the basis that CIP doesn’t recognize them as  aborigines, therefore, they

cannot restore their names or status according to the law.

Hsiao points out that the CIP’s position fails to take into  consideration that a slip-up

in government documents from 1956 to 1964 had caused many Pingpu  aborigines

to lose their aboriginal status. “Our mother tongues are  still in use today and we still

gather every year for traditional ceremonies. Who says we are not  aborigines!”

>exclaimed Hsiao.

Kau-Pi Church, a Presbyterian church in Tainan County, has a  predominantly

Siraya congregation. The church has also encouraged many of its  members to

restore their aboriginal names instead of using their Han Chinese  names in official

documents. Church leaders are determined to continue supporting  the "name-

>rectifying campaign" despite challenges.

>For related news, visit:

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/05/03/2003442637

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/06/27/2003447222

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