Only 84 of all 368 plains tribal settlements in Taiwan still maintain traditional cultural activities and rituals, according to the Council of Indigenous Peoples.
These 84 villages will be targeted for intensive cultural and linguistic revitalization efforts, the CIP said.
The plains aborigines, also known as Pingpu, are distinguished from highland aborigines in official classifications. Two recent surveys commissioned by the CIP to map existing settlements, population and current cultural practices showed approximately 80,000 people identifying themselves as plains aborigines.
The studies were based on the commonly accepted identification of nine Pingpu tribes—the Ketagalan, Kavalan, Taokas, Pazeh, Babuza, Papora, Hoanya, Siraya and Makatao.
However, research in 2002 estimated that about 200,000 people are Pingpu descendents. “This figure was based on a 1935 Japanese government report, but Pingpu tribal members believe that the number could actually be twice as large, as in earlier days many people hid their aboriginal identity and did not register with the government,” CIP Deputy Minister Mayaw Dongi said Feb. 21.
Plains tribal members have pushed for government recognition of the groups for over a decade.
Duan Hong-kun, a Siraya anthropologist, said official recognition of the Pingpu groups would shake up the existing distribution of public resources to the 500,000 members of the 14 indigenous tribes recognized by the government.
“But without recognition and the support of public resources, the already endangered Pingpu languages and cultures would find it even harder to survive,” Duan said.
The CIP has also commissioned a feasibility study on legal revisions and the social impact of formal recognition of the plains groups, which is expected to be completed in June.
“Getting a clear picture of the present situation of plains aboriginal communities will pave the way for the sustainability of Pingpu cultures,” Mayaw Dongi said. (THN)