Winners of the Taiwan indigenous literature awards organized by the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples were honored Dec. 21 in Taipei City, spotlighting some of the country’s best aboriginal authors.
The four recipients come from the Atayal, Paiwan, and Truku tribes, finishing atop a 120-strong field in the categories of novella, poetry, essay and reporting.
According to CIP, this year saw a rise in the number of young authors, signaling the emergence of a new generation of talent. In addition to common topics such as identity, cultural heritage and modernization, entries for the latest edition focused on broader issues like family and social phenomena, the council said.
The winner in the novella category was “A Night without the Moon” by Paiwan author Pan Chen-yu. Inspired by a failed timber theft plot in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, the story examines illegal logging, irresponsible land management and residents’ struggles between the conflicting interests of capitalism and environmental conservation.
In the poem category, “Oral Epic” by Atayal author Sayun Yuming won out with its focus on the role of verbal narratives in passing on indigenous history throughout Taiwan’s various ruling regimes.
Also written by Yuming, winning essay “Helper” impressed the judges with its use of multiple languages— Atayal, Cantonese, English and Holo, also known as Taiwanese—to examine a maid’s relationship with members of her employer’s household.
In the reporting category, Truku author Robiaq Umau’s “Who Can Harvest My Father’s Arrow Bamboo Garden” triumphed, earning praise for its use of first-person narration in telling the story of a young couple working as hill farmers.
Founded in 2010, the annual indigenous literature awards are designed to encourage the country’s native authors by recognizing outstanding works. (YCH-E)
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