The Hlaalua and Kanakanavu were officially recognized as indigenous groups at the Cabinet meeting held today.
The two tribes are the 15th and 16th indigenous groups to receive official recognition. Originally, nine had this status: the Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiyat, Tsou and Yami (or Dawu). Five more—the Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Sakizaya and Seediq (or Sediq)—were progressively added to the list between 2001 and 2008, in accordance with the principles of affirming cultural pluralism and showing respect to the will of indigenous peoples enshrined in Article 10 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China and Article 4 of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act, respectively.
In addition to extending congratulations to members of the two groups, Premier Jiang Yi-huah thanked Minister without Portfolio Chien Tai-lang and staffers of relevant agencies for their efforts in this matter. He also expressed gratitude to legislators, whose support afforded the Executive Yuan the legal basis required for granting official recognition.
Cultural and ethnic pluralism has been an important driving force in the development of human history, Jiang noted. "In earlier times, emphasis was placed on individuals' human rights. Since the 20th century, however, people have come to think that collective rights of ethnic groups are as important as those of individuals and that the preservation and flourishing of a language relies on the collaboration of all members of the ethnic group that speaks it and the respect of other ethnic groups and peoples. Only in this way can culture be conserved as shared assets," said the premier.
As indigenous culture constitutes the purest and most indispensable part of the nation's multiethnic society, the government is duty-bound to protect the country's cultural pluralism to enrich its cultural content, noted the premier.
There are other indigenous tribes seeking to be officially named, the premier said, and the government will carefully review academic research and studies on their cases with the same objective criteria it used for previous ones, he promised. "As long as the application satisfies the relevant conditions, the government will surely recognize more tribes in the spirit of cultural and ethnic pluralism," the premier affirmed.
The Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) had commissioned National Chengchi University to study the cases for the Hlaalua and Kanakanavu, and the university's report affirmed that both met the requirements to be listed as separate indigenous tribes. After that, their applications were approved by the CIP's review committee.
Premier Jiang urged the CIP to follow Minister without Portfolio Chien Tai-lang's conclusions in the review meeting and formulate supporting measures with other ministries on issues concerning household registration, educational curriculum and cultural heritage. In addition, the premier instructed the CIP to offer information about the two tribes' characteristics, history and culture so that citizens can better understand the diversity of Taiwan's ethnic groups.
During today's press conference, You Ren-gui, a teacher of the Hlaalua language, said that after six years' effort, the Hlaalua people are all excited about receiving the announcement of official recognition from the premier in person at a grand ceremony. The tribe will work hard to make its culture shine, he said.
Kanakanavu elder Xiao Neng-ji said that in the past, the majority of the public did not know of the existence of his tribe, so he felt extremely honored by Premier Jiang's announcement. "It is just like what our elders used to remind us: open your eyes and doors, and you will see the beauty of the world," Xiao said. "From now on, we will try our best to stand firmly on our own."
Xiao also expressed the highest appreciation to the elders and other members of the Tsou—with whom the Kanakanavu are close, and as whom they have often been mistakenly identified—for their courtliness and concern throughout the years.