During the past four decades of rapid economic development, Taiwan's indigenous tribespeople have suffered from serious social and cultural disintegration while reaping only marginal benefits. To address the imbalance, the government has recently strengthened its endeavors to help these groups improve themselves economically, socially, and culturally.
There are now 330,000 tribespeople in the Taiwan area, or 1.7 percent of the total population. The nine largest tribes, in order of population size, are: Ami, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, and Yami. More than half of these natives live in a network of thirty remote villages in the Central Mountain Range – high peaks that occupy half of the island, running 270 kilometers from north to south and 80 kilometers from east to west. The remaining 150,000 indigenous people live in twenty-five villages, towns, and cities along the island's plains. Hualien, Taitung, and Pingtung counties, in eastern and southern Taiwan, have the highest concentration of tribespeople. They compose one-third of the population of Taitung county.
Picking tea - the government's Program for the Social Development of Taiwan's Aborigines will help upgrade life in mountain communities.
The mountain tribes live on 240,000 hectares of protected land reserves established by the ROC government shortly after it moved to Taiwan in 1949.Government policy called for the area to be set aside in order to assure the livelihood of the residents and to protect them from the cultural encroachment and economic exploitation of the Han population. The bulk of this area is quite isolated from urban life. Without adequate capital and modern technology, many tribespeople in these mountain communities still subsist through primitive methods of farming and hunting.
Some sections within the area, however, have been significantly influenced by economic developments in the rest of the island. For example, the Atayal village of Wulai, a well-known tourist spot located in the mountainous outskirts of Taipei, attracts 600,000 tourists each year, enabling tribal members to make handsome profits from tourism. Other mountain communities located along the Central Cross-Island Highway, such as those near Taroko Gorge, Tienhsiang, and Lishan, are also prospering from the tourist trade. The natives of Lishan, for example, are now substantially better off economically than those of more remote locations, thanks not only to tourism, but also to the introduction of modern farming techniques for growing pears and apples.
Another effect of economic development is that many young people are leaving the impoverished mountain communities to seek better opportunities in the cities. An estimated 80,000 indigenous people now live in urban areas around the island; 50,000 live in Taipei alone. Unfortunately, the majority of them suffer from maladjustments to urban life. Lacking education and skills, most men end up doing manual labor such as construction work and mining. Currently, 17,000 natives work in the deep-sea fishing industry, representing one-third of Taiwan's total crewmen. These men are often exploited by employers and discriminated against by the Han population.
An even more miserable fate has afflicted many native women. A substantial number become prostitutes, either because it offers the most lucrative way to make money, or because they are tricked into it, or sold by their parents. According to a recent local television program, the going rate for young girls is between US$10,000 and US$20,000.While no exact figures are available, indigenous women account for a disproportionately high percentage of prostitutes, especially among those who are teenagers.
Some analysts estimate that in Paotouli, a red-light district of Taipei, indigenous women account for 40 percent of all prostitutes and 60 percent of those that are underaged. From 1987 to 1990, the Taipei Women's Rescue Association contacted four hundred teenaged prostitutes in Taipei and arranged for them to be rescued by local police. Of these, 20 percent were tribal women.
The exodus of the youngest and most able members of tribal communities has weakened their cultural and social fabric, a situation aggravated by increasing contact with the Han population. In some tribes, aspects of traditional culture have been exploited as tourist attractions. This is especially true at recreational destinations such as Wulai and the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village in Nantou in central Taiwan.
Alcoholism has also become a serious problem for tribespeople, both in rural and urban areas. Currently, physical accidents and cirrhosis – both closely tied to alcohol abuse – are among the top five causes of death for indigenous people. Older natives who have remained in mountain homelands are deprived not only of the spiritual and physical support of the younger generations, but also of support from the traditional social structure. Many of these people find an escape in alcohol. Young people who remain in the mountain communities or venture into the cities also suffer from the breakdown of social bonds, and many struggle with alcohol addiction. Even children often imitate their elders by drinking.
"Due to their open and hospitable character, as well as the lack of recreational activities in high mountains, alcohol has traditionally been apart of tribal life," says Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉), an Atayal tribe member and specialist in the Aboriginal Administration Section, Department of Civil Affairs, Ministry of the Interior. "The problem has been aggravated by the inferiority complex of natives when encountering the prosperous economic achievement and high living standards of Han people."
More tragically, some natives choose to escape their problems by terminating their own lives. Suicide is also among the top five causes of death for natives, while it is not among the top ten causes of death for Taiwan's population as a whole. "The problem is especially serious among Atayals," says Kung. "Due to their tragic character, they regard suicide as something of melancholy beauty." The most striking example of this view came at the conclusion of the infamous Wushe Incident of 1930, when a tragic misunderstanding at a wedding party between a Japanese official and an Atayal bridegroom escalated into a series of armed conflicts. Hundreds of Japanese were killed or wounded, and nine hundred tribespeople died, a dozen or more by suicide.
Tribespeople have found one channel of hope in the island's Christian churches. These institutions offer material assistance as well as spiritual comfort and guidance. Some 950 churches now operate in the native communities of the mountains and plains, attracting 160,000 followers, half of the total native population.
The government has recently begun several programs designed to improve living standards for indigenous people. In July 1988, the provincial government implemented its Program for the Social Development of Taiwan's Aborigines. The twelve-year program focuses on six main aspects: politics and society, economic construction, financial assistance, health and hygiene, social services, and education and culture. To carry out the program, the Aboriginal Administration Bureau was established in July 1990 under the provincial government's Department of Civil Affairs.
The program has far-reaching goals. As a means toward greater political development, the government is encouraging tribespeople, especially younger generations, to participate more actively in elections at all levels. A fixed number of seats is also guaranteed for indigenous people in the various elected assemblies, including four seats in the provincial assembly and four in the Legislative Yuan.
In addressing economic problems, the government seeks to help tribal communities develop local industries by utilizing their resources most efficiently. One main focus is to develop public properties, especially tourist hotels run by village administrations. Other economic improvements include building an adequate highway network, improving residential facilities and living environment, and the development of agriculture, livestock rearing, and tourism. Currently, the average income of mountain-dwelling natives amounts to 38 percent of Taiwan's per capita income, which totaled US$8,000 in 1991. Plains-dwelling natives earn 40 percent of the island's income level.
The government also plans to upgrade health-care facilities and services, and to establish a computerized medical information system in rural hospitals and clinics. The mortality rate among the native population is now two to three times the island average, in large part because of a shortage of modern medical facilities, the lack of basic hygiene, and alcoholism.
Improving education among the native population is another challenging goal. Currently, many youths quit school early to begin employment. An unfortunately small percentage of tribal youth enroll in school: 55 percent in primary schools; 20 percent in junior highs; 10 percent in high schools and vocational schools (one-third of the island level), and 2 percent in college (one-fifth of the island level). In addition, remote mountain schools suffer from inadequate facilities and a high teacher turnover because of their inferior living amenities. The low education level exists despite government assistance, including special scholarships and lower admission standards for tribal high school and college students.
To upgrade the school system, the government plans to supplement the education budget in indigenous communities, promote adult education, and provide financial support to tribespeople enrolling in technical and commercial schools as well as military or police academies. In the related area of improving social services, the government plans to develop adult education programs teaching such practical skills as personal banking, overcoming family problems, curbing alcoholism, and adjusting to urban life.
Lin Tien-sheng, a member of the Paiwan tribe and a former legislator, believes that the government's primary focus should be on improving education, one of the weakest links among native communities. He advocates that the central government take over responsibility for education in indigenous communities – currently, primary and junior high schools are operated by the local municipal governments – thus increasing funding and standardizing quality. In addition, he suggests adopting special measures to encourage native students to seek advanced education, such as providing a free education through college.
The program has progressed smoothly during its first four years. From fiscal 1989 to 1991, the provincial government spent US$18.8 million on a "three-year plan for assisting the development oft ribal economies." Tribespeople received assistance in developing agricultural industries such as livestock rearing, high-altitude aquaculture for trout and other commercial fish, and growing high-value species of flowers. The plan also promoted production of wood and bamboo products, marketing of native handicrafts, and development of tourism through the beautification of remote villages. Vocational training programs were developed for growing vegetables and fruits, and low-interest loans were made available for tribal entrepreneurs.
During the same period, an additional US$18.8 million went into a "three-year plan for assisting the lives of indigenous people." Under this plan, the government strived to help tribespeople rebuild their culture through establishing ancestral charts, promoting traditional folk activities, and upgrading education. More than 450 "life improvement associations," staffed with hundreds of volunteers were established to provide services to the aged, offer education on household administration, and to help fellow tribespeople adjust to urban life. Another US$3.3 million went into improving tribal living environment, including upgrading village roads, establishing drainage systems, and installing street lights.
Seven major projects specifically for indigenous people have been included in the Six-Year National Development Plan. The most ambitious of these is for road construction. Funding of US$750 million has been designated to build a 1,500-kilometer road system connecting the main mountain villages. This will greatly facilitate economic development in the region. Another US$600 million has been earmarked for road construction inside the villages.
The other major projects in the six-year plan are: US$36 million to improve the living environment in mountain communities; US$88 million to guard against natural disasters such as landslides and typhoons; US$200 million for agricultural development; US$140 million for reforestation; and US$30 million for construction of tribal cultural centers. Finally, by 1994, the government will add an additional 16,900 hectares of public forestry land to the protected areas set aside for the use of tribal peoples.
Lien Chan, governor of Taiwan province, has announced that under the auspices of the Program for the Social Development of Taiwan's Aborigines, the government will give higher priority to improving tribal communities, and will invest more funds and manpower so that tribespeople can enjoy the same standard of living as the rest of the population. According to Lien, the government's objective is to establish a complete social welfare system for tribal groups. But it will not be an easy job. Many challenges lie ahead as Taiwan's indigenous people struggle to acquire the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to establish a secure position for themselves and their culture amid the island's rapid economic development. – Philip Liu (劉柏登) is editor-in-chief of Business Taiwan, an economic weekly published in Taipei.