My efforts of seeking support for our indigenous people
opened up my horizon to...
anthropological related issues.
For instance, my trip to Japan.
There are a group of indigenous people in Hokkaido, Japan, called Ainus.
During the nationalist integration of the Japanese Yamato people,
during Japan's political reformations,
within this sort of history,
you will always see a group of people
who fall victim under these radical changes
are threatened and exploited.
For example, the Burakumin in Japan
the homeless people in Taiwan,
they are very much alike.
There are also examples in Europe,
Aside from...
various countries or regions in Africa and Europe,
that have endure a lengthy colonial period...
There are also colonial histories in which
For example, Australia.
They gradually came to terms with the Australian indigenous people, the Maori [sic],
The Australian prime minister apologized to them.
To re-examine the historical relationships between different ethnic groups and...
the entire ethnic confrontations presented in history...
To reconsider it under a new light, assess it with humanitarian values,
and establish new national policies or political directions accordingly,
this is what in recent years...
we have been striving for.
Do you believe that after a hundred years,
the indigenous people will disappear?
Well... probably less than a hundred years.
There will still be some shadows of them left,
But just like the so called "plains-tribes" today, it's the same.
You hear about Xiaolin village on the news,
Very few people know that the villagers were indigenous.
After it was destroyed by the typhoon Morakot,
People started to study the village,
They found out they were originally indigenous people who were sincized,
so that their main language today is Hokklo.
That's what happens after a long transitional period.
There are lots of similar places, for example, in Puli,
people who in the Hokklo language are called "Chia-huan"
They no longer consider themselves indigenous,
but it is evident in their family tree that they originally...
belonged to one of the ancient indigenous tribes.
Who in the Qing dynasty were called "tamed aborigines."
Like Siraiya, Ketagalan, etc...
They were all once part of our indigenous tribes, its just that...
After several hundred years,
it's hard to tell whether they are aboriginal or not because...
their religion or cultural practice
are all Sinicized.
If there is no...
No large-scale political adjustment to form a self-administration zone,
perhaps after a hundred years
the luckier groups will tread down the road of the Siraiya,
to exist as a shadow of what once was.
because Taiwan is too small
and transportation is too convenient,
a lot of Han culture is transmitted via TV
I think 20 or 30 years is sufficient for complete Sincization.
Besides, most people have to rely on major society in order to survive, like me...
we have to live among the crowd.
So it just comes natural that we gradually lose touch with our original lifestyle.
Aboriginal culture is tightly connected with hunting and...
gathering, or other interactions with nature,
After this is placed outside context...
This is no longer part of one's lifestyle.
Then it will be very difficult to continue.
Naturally it will disappear.