Identity, Memory and Legacy: Indigenous Taiwan

Abstract

Sixteen Indigenous peoples/nations have been officially recognized by Taiwan’s government: Amis (Pangcah), Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Yami (Tao), Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Sakizaya, Seediq, Kla'alua and Kanakanavu. Additionally, some ten nations of the plains Indigenous peoples (such as Siraya, and Makatao) are obtaining recognition for their lost Indigenous status since the work of Transitional Justice initiated by President Tsai Ing-wen.  Unlike the later migrants who came from southeastern China, Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples belong to the larger Austronesian grouping of peoples who have spread across all of the Pacific Ocean, to Southeast Asia and across the Indian Ocean to Madagascar. According to official records, the Indigenous population of Taiwan is close to 560,000, constituting 2.24 per cent of the island’s total population.