wfn.org | Rukai tribes reluctantly accept permanent housing from Buddhist organization

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3038 Edition

>May 17~23, 2010

Rukai tribes reluctantly accept permanent housing from Buddhist  organization

>Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

>Written by Lydia Ma

Five Rukai Aborigine tribes from Wutai Township have chosen  Changjhih 
Township, a

village in Pingtung County, as their preferred location for  building permanent 
housing

units. Their new community will be built by Buddhist Compassion  Relief.

Because of controversies surrounding permanent housing units built  by Buddhist

Compassion Relief (Tzu-Chi) in Sanlin Township in the past few  months, Rukai

Aborigines have repeatedly petitioned to Pingtung County that they  had already

collectively rejected Tzu-Chi’s bid to help them build new  homes.

In a strange twist of events and before county officials made any  announcement 
or reply

to these petitions, Aborigines conceded to let Tzu-Chi build  permanent housing 
for them.

According to reports, Tzu-Chi held a ground breaking ceremony on  April 26, 
which was

attended by top officials such as Premier Wu Den-yih and Pingtung  County 
Magistrate

>Tsao Chi-hung.

However, Rukai Aborigines held their own Christian  inter-denominational ground

breaking service just beforehand. Tsao Chi-hung, himself a  Christian, was 
invited to

>attend this thanksgiving service.

According to reports, Aborigines from these five Rukai tribes used  to reside 
in Chiamu

Village in Wutai Township, one of the most heavily damaged  villages during 
Typhoon

Morakot. Every house and property was utterly destroyed in the  typhoon, though 
all

>human lives were spared.

Rev. Peresange from Karamumudesane (Chiamu) Presbyterian Church  explained that

delegates representing Rukai Aborigines from different tribes and  Christian

denominations weren’t able to reach an agreement on whether  to vehemently 
reject Tzu-

>Chi’s offer.

“Though PCT leaders opposed accepting Tzu-Chi’s aid,  leaders from other

denominations felt that refusing Tzu-Chi’s offer would merely  delay permanent 
housing for

>Aborigines,” said Rev. Peresange.

Rukai Aborigines hope that Tzu-Chi will keep its word and all of  its 
volunteers will leave

the new premises once everything has been built. They also hope  Tzu-Chi 
volunteers and

officials will not reappear in their new communities to meddle in  Aborigines’ 
way of life or

>religious traditions.

According to reports, just before Tzu-Chi began building permanent  housing 
units for

Rukai Aborigines, it sensed they might decline its offer based on  what 
happened with

Sanlin permanent housing units. Hence, Tzu-Chi softened its stance  during a 
meeting

convened by Pingtung County on coordinating rebuilding efforts.

In the end, not only did Tzu-Chi officials agree to keep original  blueprints 
that would make

room for 12 chapels, it also agreed to let Aborigines decide the  designs and 
contractors

they wanted to use for these chapels. It also promised there  wouldn’t be any 
Tzu-Chi

banners or sculptures, or Buddhist aphorisms in the new community.

Tzu-Chi officials promised verbally that they wouldn’t ask  residents to 
observe any house

rules, as had been the case in Sanlin, and they would leave the  community once

construction work is completed. They only insisted on placing a  big sign with 
the words

“Da-Ai Community” at the entrance of the community,  saying they needed to 
answer to

>donors from 52 countries around the world.

Despite these reassurances, Rev. Peresange isn’t fully  convinced. “We have a 
hard time

>believing verbal promises,” she said,

She added that when Tzu-Chi had offered temporary paid jobs to  Aborigines in 
the

aftermath of Typhoon Morakot as a better alternative to financial  aid, it had 
acted as a

condescending employer. Apparently, Aborigines were subjected to  Buddhist

teachings during break times at work, but endured them for the  sake of wages. 
Such

instances prompted Aborigines to doubt whether Tzu-Chi’s  verbal promises could 
be

>trusted.

For previous coverage on this issue, refer to:  
http://enews.pctpress.org/3029/3029_1.htm

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