"Sediq has been our name, and we rejoice that our name is finally recognized," said Watan Diro Mtabu, executive director of the Sediq/Seediq/Sejiq Name Rectification Association, April 29.
Traditionally living in the border area between Nantou and Hualien counties, the group had been classified as the Atayal since the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). The following Chinese Nationalist government continued using this classification for the convenience of administration.
Formal recognition has been an issue high on the Sediq's agenda, with tribal elders, city-educated youth and local church leaders participating in discussions aimed at obtaining this status from the government. Members of the Sediq began seeking formal recognition over a decade ago.
According to Watan, who served as a Presbyterian pastor in Nantou, whenever the Sediq ventured outside their villages, they would be asked if they were Bunun or Atayal. "We have always called ourselves Sediq, even though this was the name other people gave us," he said. "The Sediq possess a very strong sense of identity despite having had no official recognition."
Tribal activists said that the road to recognition for the Sediq was a long and winding one, with the relationship between the Sediq and the Truku--another group that separated from the Atayal in 2004--still not clarified. However, a review committee made up of academics, aboriginal activists and former ministers of the Council of Indigenous Peoples confirmed the Sediq's distinctiveness from the Atayal in terms of history, language and culture. Members of a CIP committee representing Taiwan's 13 other tribes unanimously concluded Feb. 27 that the will of the Sediq people should be respected.
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung congratulated the Sediq people in the April 23 Cabinet meeting at which recognition was granted. "The recognition of the Sediq as an individual tribe shows respect for the will of this ethnic group and is consistent with the principle of fairness underlying the government's ethnic policy," he said.
Chang noted that the government began actively dealing with the problem of discrepancy between an indigenous group's self-identity and official recognition. As a consequence, the Thao was recognized in 2001, followed by the Kavalan in 2002, the Truku in 2004 and the Sakizaya in 2007. Related government agencies will assist in the sustainable development of the Sediq in accordance with laws, Chang added.
Following recognition, Sediq elders and activists passed a resolution transforming their association into a vehicle for establishing an ethnic assembly April 25. "As our people were working toward attaining recognition, we had this next step in mind," Watan said. "While the land issue over the demarcation of traditional territories is important, we are also aiming to revive our mother language, culture, ethical code and life ceremonies."
Watan urged Sediq tribal people to come out and register themselves so they can help ensure the group's continued existence. He also proposed a Sediq-Atayal-Truku coalition to further develop the shared face-tattooing culture. In 2006, Taiwan's indigenous population was nearly 475,000. According to the CIP, the 2007 Sediq population was between 6,000 and 7,000 strong.
Write to June Tsai at june@mail.gio.gov.tw