Wiki: Map of highland tribes

Reviving Ethnic Diversity:

Preserving Taiwan’s Austronesian[1] Aboriginal Languages

“Language is much more than collections of words with meaning that can be translated – they embody whole perspectives on meaning which are not readily capable of translation, and they are a key resource for understanding culture.”

“Taiwan has been colonized by the Spanish (1626-1642), the Dutch (1624-1662), Ming Dynasty loyalist Koxinga (1662-1683), the Ching Dynasty (1663-1895), the Japanese (1895-1945), and the Republic of China (1945 to the present).”[2] As a result Taiwan’s Austronesian Aboriginal population have suffered injustice, hardship, subjugation, and forced cultural assimilation. Today they represent less than two percent of Taiwan’s 22 million people, a similar proportion to that of Canada (3%) and Australia (1.8%).[3]

The Aboriginal population was divided, by colonisers, for convenience, into two groups the Pingpu (plains) people and Kaoshan (mountain) people.[4] These two groups were further divided into nineteen groups, twelve of which are now officially recognised by the Taiwanese government. The colonial classifications are rejected by some and are just one of many issues contested by the island’s 400,000 Aboriginal people in their fight to reassert their cultural identity.[5]

Today their cultural loss is exacerbated by widespread societal discrimination that assists in maintaining inequities in employment and education. “Household incomes of Taiwanese Aboriginal peoples are less than 40 percent of the national average and Aboriginal unemployment is significantly higher than the national average.”[6]

Due to forced relocations of aboriginal communities and decades of forced cultural assimilation the indigenous cultures and languages of Taiwan are seriously endangered. “A recent survey found only 10 percent of Aboriginal children are fluent in their respective Native languages, a particularly worrying fact given the large number of Aboriginal languages, especially those of the plains groups, that are either extinct or severely endangered.” [7]

Wiki: Rukai Chief

Present day causes for the decline include pressure on children, from parents, to adopt the language of the dominant Han culture, or a foreign language, in order to assist them in adapting to mainstream society. Among Taiwanese aboriginals there is no perceived competitive advantage in indigenous languages; they come a distant fourth after Mandarin, Ho-lo[8] and/or English. This combined with widespread societal discrimination has led younger generations to abandon their native tongues. The languages have also been susceptible to decline because none of Taiwan’s Aboriginals had a written language.[9]

Social change

“The starting point for cultural recovery is clear cultural identity.”[10] Language recovery is an essential part of this process. If Taiwan’s aboriginal population is to become an empowered part of modern day Taiwan they must first revive their language, cultural roots and sense of community.

If cultural identity can be asserted it can be used as the basis for learning about all aspects of cultural heritage such as; environmental knowledge, land management practices, dance, traditional medicines, traditional foods, traditional building practices and traditional art and crafts.

The self confidence gained through the assertion of cultural identity can also be used to gain political access which is “important both because it is the basis of a group’s sense of worth and effectiveness and because it affects its economic prospects”[11]. It also strengthens a group’s ability to defend itself against injustice.

Through language recovery the disadvantaged groups can begin to “shed their inferiority complexes, regain their self-esteem, and inject their respective cultural heritages with a new vitality.”[12] In Taiwan’s case, the newly revived ethnic diversity can help ease ethnic tensions in order to focus on the national goal of self-determination and international recognition.

Who would benefit?

Who would benefit from preserving Taiwan’s Austronesian Aboriginal languages is a fascinating question in terms of Taiwan’s fight for self determination and international recognition. It is clear that the indigenous populations would benefit from a cultural resurgence after centuries of oppression. In addition to this the nation also benefits from a more inclusive national identity and because it is Austronesian heritage that now serves the “Taiwanese as a cultural and racial emblem of self-identity to distinguish them from the Chinese mainland.”[13]

Institutional and other arrangements to facilitate social change

1. Teaching of the vernacular languages should be started in kindergarten. The concept should be the same as the successful Kohango Reo (language nests) set up to save Maori language in New Zealand, in 1982.[14] Supporters of initiatives such as these argue that “vernacular languages should be used in the teaching of the national language… and other subjects until students’ command of Mandarin is good enough to use it as a medium of instruction.”[15] Studies by UNESCO have found that “the mother tongue was the best language for literacy”[16] and recommended “that the use of mother tongue in education be extended to as late a stage as possible.”[17] It was also proven “that the teaching of a mother tongue in the way proposed will not slow down students’ acquisition of a national language.”[18]

2. Adapt the current education system, at all levels, to become more multicultural. This would begin changing the ingrained views about minorities in Taiwan and foster a more inclusive society.

3. Require that all national level exams, i.e. civil service exams, have an optional local/indigenous language component. This would provide a competitive advantage for indigenous languages. It would also require the Examination Yuan to hire/come in contact with aboriginal people. (The Examination Yuan is considered by many to be a very conservative bureaucracy run by ‘Mandarin monoglots’ from the previous regime.)

4. Pass the Linguistic Equality Law. The bill is designed to give all native languages equal legal status with Mandarin Chinese.[19]

Update September 2008: The Linguistic Equality Law has yet to be passed. It was drafted in 2004.

5. Preserve indigenous languages by promoting written versions of them employing some form of phonetic script.[20]

6. Promote autonomous development of aboriginal languages. Include incentives for aboriginal parents to teach the language at home. Provide resources relating to native culture, language and history.

7. Cultural exchanges between ethnic groups should be encouraged at all levels. Ethnic and linguistic diversity should be promoted as a national asset.

8. All forms of media should be used to raise the profile of indigenous languages. To enable indigenous people to reassert their cultural identity, on their on terms, they should be encouraged to produce their own programs. Music production should also be encouraged.

9. Widen political access for indigenous people. Raise awareness among indigenous people about the need to be politically active in order to protect their culture and language, and improve educational and economic prospects.

Related stories: Taiwan’s first Aboriginal ambassador

Found a link at David on Formosa to Documenting and Revitalizing Austronesian Languages: free online book

Traditional Tao (Yami) boat

]]> http://mandarinscholarship.com/2008/09/28/preserving-taiwan%e2%80%99s-austronesian-aboriginal-languages/feed/ 95 http://mandarinscholarship.com/2008/09/14/penghu-casinos-not-the-answer/ http://mandarinscholarship.com/2008/09/14/penghu-casinos-not-the-answer/#comments Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:10:48 +0000 kang-wei http://mandarinscholarship.wordpress.com/?p=130

A letter I wrote to the Taipei Times was published today:

Here’s a story I wrote about the issues:

Penghu: Cultural Heritage Tourism vs Casino Tourism

Taipei city has hundreds of kilometers of dedicated (i.e. no cars) bicycle paths. I believe that Taipei and Taipei county are the best places in Asia for urban cycling.

Recently bikes have been allowed on selected MRT stations and special carriages are now provided for bikes on, as I understand it, selected days. All in all, great efforts are being made to make Taipei more bike friendly. Just one more reason to study Chinese in Taipei! Although, to be fair, I think riding on the roads is still very risky.

Below is a map of Taipei’s bike paths. You can pick up the map at MRT stations and some cycling stores:

From David on Formosa: http://blog.taiwan-guide.org

David on Formosa wrote about Taipei’s bike paths in 2005.

Kinmen National Park 金門國家公園

In 1995, three years after the ending of the military administration of the island, Kinmen National Park was opened. It was Taiwan’s sixth national park and the first to have the primary aim of protecting historical and cultural heritage, and serve as a war memorial. Kinmen Island today is still a military stronghold on the front line between Taiwan and Mainland China.

It is located approximately 225 kilometers from Taiwan and just two kilometers from Mainland China, and covers an area of 13,425 hectares. The park is spread out over 3,780 hectares, or about one quarter of the area of Kinmen and Little Kinmen islands.

Chinmencheng means Kinmen City and refers to a strategic impregnable city that is the gateway to the sea. Taken literally Kinmen (金門) means golden gate.

There are traces of human habitation dating back 5000 to 6000 years. Historical records show that people began coming to Kinmen from China’s central plains over 1,600 years ago. Most of the early inhabitants came from certain areas of Fujian Province. The architectural style of the dwellings follows these old traditions. Due to 40 years of military control the pace of development was slowed and as a result numerous well preserved examples of traditional architecture have survived. Eleven have been registered, within the park, as historical monuments but the park and the islands are littered with entire living villages that have retained their southern Fujian architecture. This is in stark contrast to the main island of Taiwan.

In addition to the examples of Fujian architecture there are many so-called ‘Western-style’ houses, which are a combination of Western and Chinese architecture. They date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were built by local merchants who traded overseas.

Other Important structures include the ancestral shrines. Their importance denoted by their geographical position in heart of the settlement. Another prominent symbol of the island’s folk culture is the Wind Lion God or Spirit Lion. Numerous statues of this god dot the island usually in front of a village or set into walls. Their purpose can vary but are generally to protect against storms. Due to the massive deforestation that has taken place over the past 300 years they are more important than ever.

Kinmen National Park includes various battlefield monuments that hold an extremely important place in the history of modern day Taiwan. On October 25, 1949, the year when mainland China fell to the Communists, Communist forces unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Kinmen for the purpose of capturing Taiwan. Again in 1958 Mainland China began a massive bombardment campaign that lasted 44 days. It was also unsuccessful. Over the next 20 years the Mainland continued to occasionally fire on the island. All bombardment stopped in 1979.

The islands are built on a base of granite. This geological attribute contributed to the defense of the islands. Many of the tunnels and bunkers were carved into the granite base of the island creating robust defenses.

Kinmen National Park contains more than 548 species of plants. Some of the species are not found in Taiwan.

Due to the parks proximity to mainland China in attracts a huge variety of migratory birds. More than 280 species have been recorded in high density. Kinmen’s birdlife is markedly different to that of Taiwan.

References
Kinmen National Park Headquarters, Construction and Planning Administration Ministry of the Interior R.O.C. (2001), Kinmen National Park, Shun Cheng Printing Co, Taichung.

On the 20th of June 2008 the Taipei Times reported that Kinmen and Matsu can be used by foreign nationals to enter China:

Effective immediately, Taiwanese and foreign nationals holding valid travel papers will be allowed to enter China via the outlying islands of Kinmen or Matsu, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday.

Previously, only certain Taiwanese residents were allowed to visit China via the “small three links.” They had to be either Kinmen or Matsu residents for more than six months, civil servants working on the islands or relatives and spouses of Kinmen or Matsu residents working in Taiwan. Taiwanese nationals meeting certain other requirements were also allowed to use the links.

I visited Kinmen a few years ago and tried to get a ticket to board a ferry to Xiamen in China’s southern Fujian Province (only 20mins, 2km to the coast). Of course they said no.

If you are a Mandarin scholarship student this is good news as it’s much cheaper to　visit China this way. It’s also much more interesting．　Best to wait till you have a multi-entry visa (ARC).

Kinmen island is about 33 km from Xiamen City and 296 km from Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. Matsu is a group of 36 isles about 28 km from the Fujian coast and 211 km from the main Taiwan island.

Update

For more information you can have a look at the Taiwan Journal’s article:

Cabinet expands mini links with mainland

Also, this ongoing discussion at forumosa.com has some interesting information:

Ferry from Jinmen/Mazu to Xiamen/Fuzhou

Q. Can anyone confirm whether or not foreign nationals can actually use these ferry services to travel from Taiwan to China.

A. Yes. That’s what the Chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council reported to the ECCT at a meeting this afternoon, as I translated for her yesterday. But she also added that, since Beijing still hadn’t adjusted its position on the status of the three small links, foreigners would not yet be able to make the journey in the other direction, though it was hoped this could be changed through future cross-strait talks.

If the information above is correct going from Kinmen to Xiamen or Matzu to Fuzhou should be possible although returning to Taiwan the same way could be tricky, if not impossible for now. Another poster brought up fact that obtaining a Chinese visa in Taiwan is very expensive. I got some quotes for Chinese visas which ranged from NT$2500 (US$85) to NT8500 (US$285)!

The only problem with travel in any direction, however, is that visas are still not issued in Taiwan. Going to China via Kinmen (Jinmen) will be very cheap but not if travel agents still have to apply for your visa through the Hong Kong visa office. Furthermore, if you have to fly back to Taiwan via HK, you might as well fly via HK, as the price for a one-way or return is about the same. This is just more empty symbolism from the Ma admin.

Update: Just came accross the information below about a new ferry from Kinmen (金門) to Xiamen (廈門). The new route, opened on August 31 2008, is only 13 kilometers and is the third to be opened between Kinmen and Chinese mainland.

New ferry route opens between Kinmen (金門) and Xiamen (廈門)
Golden Star ferry operates the ferry services on the new route which links Shuitou wharf on Taiwan’’s Kinmen Island and Wutong wharf in Xiamen, southern China. This new route which was launched on August 31st will reduce the travel time between Kinmen and Xiamen from one hour to thirty minutes. Wutong is only a 10-minute ride away from Gaochi International Airport in Xiamen from which passengers can fly to other Chinese cities. A normal China visa will still be required for foreigners traveling this route.

New bus routes have been added in order to provide passengers easy access to downtown Xiamen, the Convention Center, railway station, and its main bus station .

Heritage@risk

As with many places around the world Penghu is struggling to preserve it’s unique cultural heritage. Penghu’s coral limestone architecture is fast disappearing due to modernization and neglect.

Coral limestone is strong yet porous and abundant on the archipelago. For more than a century some of the one-story coral houses have endured typhoons, modernization and neglect. In 2003 the only study ever done found about 2000 coral houses left, but the number is believed to be significantly lower now.

As the Taipei Times reports, there are a few who are attempting to save some of these unique structures and some local officials are waking up to the potential value of the archipelago’s unique architectural resources.

Last year, the local government obtained NT$2 million [US$60,000] in funding from the Executive Yuan’s economic development committee for a program that asks fund recipients to pay one-third of the cost of restoring their home, with the remaining cost coming from the fund.

The level of funding reflects the priority given to protect Taiwan’s heritage resources. It can cost up to NT$1 million [US$30,000] to restore one coral house. So far, only one Penghu resident has applied for the money.

In 1995 the World Heritage town of Hoi An, Viet Nam, set up a heritage restoration fund to help homeowners repair or restore historic houses. Applicants are funded on a sliding scale based on their income. Usually 20% to 80% of restoration costs are covered, but in special cases 100% of costs will be granted. In addition, businesses operating from the restored houses are offered tax breaks.

In the past 13 years scores of historic buildings have been restored and Hoi An is now considered a rare Asian World Heritage success story. The original communities have stayed in the town and the social evils usually associated with tourism have been minimized. [Hoi An report PDF 95kb]

Penghu mulls casino development as Macau limits casinos

Taiwan’s new President-elect Ma Ying-jeou publicly promised during his “thank you” tour of Penghu April 9 [2008] that once Penghu residents reach a consensus on the casino issue, the central government — set to be inaugurated May 20 [2008] – will spare no efforts to help facilitate the development.

As Macau is adopting measures to limit casinos due to social unrest caused by increased crime rates, high inflation, rampant corruption and so on, it makes me wonder if sleepy Penghu would be better off with a casino. The casino may very well increase the GDP of the archipelago but at what cost to its delicate social fabric? And who would travel to Penghu to gamble when Macau is much easier to access and has six world class casinos?

When I visited Penghu a few years ago, I asked several locals what they thought about casino tourism. All of them acknowledged the potential financial benefits but were concerned about what kind of people it would bring to the archipelago.

A referendum held in 2003 showed that around 57 percent of Penghu’s residents backed the casino plan. This figure is often used by politicians when justifying the development. What is often not mentioned, is that the voter turnout was 21 percent. Interpreted another way, only 11 percent of residents have backed the plan.

Harnessing cultural heritage resources

In March this year a global tourism survey showed Taiwan had plunged 22 places to 52nd and fell three notches to seventh in Asia in a world ranking of competitiveness. In terms of human, cultural and natural resources the nation dropped from 23^rd to 79^th.

In the 1980s the Singaporean government was forced to analyze its development policies when tourist arrivals fell dramatically. A Tourism Task Force reported that the drop was due, in part, to the devastating effects of urban renewal on large parts of the old city with many old buildings and districts falling victim to wholesale redevelopment. In the effort to modernize, Singapore had removed aspects of its oriental mystique and charm which was best symbolised in old buildings and traditional activities.

The change in government policy has led to a dramatic increase in tourism in Singapore. Extensive conservation and restoration of ethnic districts such as Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam has helped 2007 become another record breaking year for Singapore’s tourism sector.

The record number of arrivals is evidence that preservation of cultural heritage resources can bring long term sustainable tourism growth. Macau has also been investing heavily to diversify its image and boost its reputation as a cultural destination.

Learning from successful preservation strategies adopted by other nations will enable Penghu and Taiwan to sustainably harness their cultural heritage resources. And hopefully, save a few more coral houses for future generations to enjoy.

Related story

Dutch man revives Taiwanese puppets

Currently Mandarin scholarship students must be enrolled for 12 contact hours per week (This will increase to 15 hours after August 31 2008). I have 8 hours of one-on-one classes, 2 hours language exchange and I complete a cultural activity once a week, such as visiting a museum. Below is an example of my homework for a cultural activity.

On Thursday I went to Ju Ming Museum.

The sculpture park is located in beautiful Jin Shan (金山), Taipei County.

Ju Ming is a very famous artist. He is best known for his sculptures, created in bronze, clay and wood, but he is also a painter.

He started working on the 11 hectare museum/gallery/park almost twenty years ago. It finally opened in 1999.

Ju was born in a small Miaoli County town in central Taiwan. When he was young he worked as a temple artist specializing in woodcarving. He was taught by some very famous Taiwanese artists and has since been internationally recognized. His work has been displayed in France, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, U.S.A., Singapore etc.

You can view a slideshow of photos I took here.

朱銘博物館

我二零零八年四月星期四去了朱銘博物館。

朱銘博物館的地址是台北縣金山鄉西勢湖2號。

我覺得金山很美麗。

朱銘是藝術家。 他會創作雕刻品，也會畫畫。他很有名。

我很喜歡朱銘博物館， 我帶來了我的照相機，所以我拍很多照片。

我覺得朱銘博物館很特別。

他的作品去了加拿大，法國，香港， 日本，德國，美國， 新加坡 etc。

更多照片