Taiwan’s Ethnic Conglomeration

in

Southeast Asian Regional Contexts

Bien ChiangInstitute of Anthropology, National Tsinghua University

Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica

2012/3/20National Kaohsiung University

of Hospitality and Tourism

Phases of Immigrations into Taiwan

circa 10000 BC: dubious presence of the Negrito

circa 4000 BC: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian)

circa 1400 AD: Southern Chinese immigrants (Mainly

Hokkien and Hakka)

1949 AD: “Political Refugees” from all over Chinese

Mainland

1990 AD: Migrant Workers and Marital Immigrants

The Indigenous Austronesian Communities

Population

6,019

7,275

704

52,824

6,840

12,183

90,811

Population

81,848

27,071

569

1,258

188,797

12,357

3,956

Bellwood, Peter 1985 Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago, Sydney, Academic Press

Major “Historical” Periods Related to the Austronesian People of Taiwan

After 12th century: Sporadic mentioning of Taiwan in Chinese literature

1624 to 1661: The Dutch controlled the Western (mainly Southwestern) plain areas

1626 to 1642: The Spanish controlled the Taipei Basin and Northern coast

1662 to 1895: Koxinga and Qing Dynasty 1895 to 1945: Japanese Period 1945 to present: Republic of China Period

Demographic Change

c. 1661 Chinese: 25,000 to 50,000

1886 survey Indigenous: 150,000

c. 1895 Chinese: 2,546,000

April, 2011 Taiwan Population: 23,170,376

April, 2011 Taiwan Indigenous Population: 514,824 (2.2%)

Important Events in the Colonial History of Taiwan (I)

1722: initial boundary marker that led to the establishment of “Ai-yun line （隘勇線 or “Guardsmen Line” ） and the formal demarcation of “Fan-jie” （蕃界 or the “Native’s Territory” ）

1867: the Rover incident 1871: the Ryukyu shipwreck incident 1896-1920: steady “advancement” of guardsmen line 1909: launch of “five-year native management project”,

which was in fact a series of military campaigns (39 major battles)

1920: guardsmen line replaced in some places by land mines and electrified barbed wires

Important Events in the Colonial History of Taiwan (II)

1930: setting up of schools and the provision of medical facilities, introducing rice farming, cattle herding and silkworm industry

1939: “Imperial-Subjectification” （皇民化運動） 1945: Republic of China succeeded Japan and

transformed the mountain territory demarcated by the guardsmen line into reservation

1945: establishment of local administrative system 1950: “Life improving movement”, “Sedentary farming”

and “Forestation” projects 1957: “Land Survey and Registration” 1983: underground journal “Gau Shan Qing” （高山

青）

Important Events in the Colonial History of Taiwan (III)

1984: Taiwan Indigenous Rights Promotion Association （原住民權利促進會）

1992: collective name changed from “Mountain Compatriot “ （山胞） or “High Mountain Tribes” （高山族） to “Indigenous Peoples” （原住民）

1996: Establishment of Council or Bureau of Indigenous Peoples at all governmental levels（原住民族委員會／原住民行政局）

Comparative EthnographySimilarities between the Traditional Indigenous Cultures of Taiwan and Insular Southeast Asia Slash-and-Burn Agriculture plus Hunting and Fishing Practice of Head Hunting Shamanistic Religions Wide Range of Kinship Organizational Principles:

patrilineal, matrilineal, cognatic etc. Wide Range of Social Hierarchical Principles:

Egalitarian to Classed Social Formations based on Architectural Forms

(“House Societies”) Significances of Imported Material Valuables in Social

Production and Reproduction

Historical Divergence

Contrasts between the Historical Experiences of Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan and that of Insular Southeast Asia

Presence and Absence of Hindic and Islamic Influences

“Western” vs. “Asian” Colonization Positions in the Historical Maritime Trading

Networks

Major Contemporary Social Issues Facing the Indigenes of Taiwan

Domination of Mainstream Culture

General Negligence and Misunderstanding of the Indigenous People by the Majority Taiwanese

Under-privileged Socio-economic Status

Maintenance and Development of Indigenous Land

Environmental Hazards and Traditional Territories

Implementation of The Indigenous Peoples Basic Law (2005)

Researchers Wanted

Ethno-archaeology: more works are needed to establish sequential linkage between the archaeological findings and the living Austronesian cultures in Taiwan.

Regional Context: Situated at the northernmost corner of the Austronesian territory, the indigenous peoples of Taiwan have been out of reach by the Hindic and Islamic cultural influences and only briefly colonized by the European. In both ethnographic and historical sense they provide a highly enlightening contrast to the rest of the Austronesian communities.