Taiwanese Aboriginal Research Articles

Death·Return·Rebirth: On the Theme Development of Taiwan Aboriginal Poetry

Death·Return·Rebirth: On the Theme Development of Taiwan Aboriginal Poetry

Questions of Identity and Origins in the Museological Representation of Contemporary Indigenous Art in Taiwan

The significant ideological and cultural role of public museums in shaping national identity is widely acknowledged. This paper focuses on the roles of Taiwan’s public art museums in generating nationalist narratives that privilege notions of cultural distinctiveness and authenticity in the visual representation of art from Taiwan. Two exhibitions of contemporary Indigenous art provide a platform for critical analysis of the impact of identity politics on the selection, display, and promotion of Taiwanese Indigenous art. Questions of artistic agency are also explored in this paper, demonstrating how Indigenous artists in Taiwan are increasingly interrogating and contesting systems of museological representation which seek to locate or “frame” Indigenous art within an Austronesian nationalist identity narrative. These exhibitions and the artists’ works and observations offer an insight into the complex and shifting interrelationship between national identity politics and the museological representation of art in Taiwan.

Rethinking Representation: Shifting Relations between Museums and the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan

The museum is a powerful site of representation; “which” objects and “how” they are displayed engenders issues of ownership and carries a symbolism that has social and political consequences. This article will look at the changing relations between museums and the Indigenous communities of Taiwan and how these relationships are manifest in the museums’ collections, exhibitions, and communication strategies. To provide historical context and trajectories of change, I examine how the Indigenous peoples of Taiwan were represented in museums and exhibitions in early twentieth-century colonial regimes. I then discuss changes in the representations of Indigenous peoples within post-war Taiwan and how these changes relate to the complex search for national identity, which invokes echoes of the Japanese colonial period and the dominance of Han Chinese heritage. I utilize James Clifford’s idea of the museum as a contact zone to explore strategies of “culture-collecting” and the extent to which this can be seen as a response to particular political conditions, such as histories of dominance, hierarchy, and resistance. As contact zones, museums can help communities negotiate difficult cultural and political problems through dialogue and alliances. Furthermore, in order to identify some of the key themes that also relate to Taiwan, the article will draw upon cases of emerging partnerships and collaborations between Indigenous communities and museum sectors to examine how these assist in re-thinking issues around the representation of Indigenous peoples by asserting new political relationships through their material culture.

Joint Sonography in Patient with Hematoidin Crystals in a Clinically Suspected Septic Arthritis

Hematoidin is an erythrocyte derived product without containing iron. It is rare to find intracellular and extracellular hematoidin crystals in joint effusion. Sonographic description was never described before. We present a case of monoarthritis in a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis and compare his sonographic findings with CT scan and MRI and pathologic findings. Case report and literature review. This 40 year-old man, Taiwanese aboriginal Atayal, with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus presented with left knee swelling of acute onset for 1 week. CT scan at emergency room showed free air within the joint effusion Ultrasound was performed and showed heteroechoic thickening of the synovium with focal hyperemia and hyperechoic lines suggesting free air in the synovium. There was also superficial enhancement of the articular cartilage layer. MRI of the knee showed no nodular proliferation of the synovium with lobulated margins or blooming artefact on gradient echo suggesting pigmented villonodular synovitis. Joint aspiration and synovial fluid analysis revealed the presence of intracellular and extracellular hematoidin which is a yellow, rhomboid plate. Joint bacterial culture was negative. He received joint synovectomy and no micro-organism was identified. Pathology showed focal necrosis with acute and chronic inflammatory cells in the synovium. Hematoidin is a soluble crystal which is seldom present in the synovial fluid. Previous report also showed that hematoidin is present in patients with staphylococcus aureus septic arthritis preceded by previous repeated previous repeated traumatic injuries. Here we presented the sonographic findings of a joint inflamed by the presence of hematoidin crystals.

Study of Asobi-Shigoto of Taiwanese Indigenous in Taromak Community

Study of Asobi-Shigoto of Taiwanese Indigenous in Taromak Community

Ethnic differences in risk factors of acute pancreatitis

ABSTRACTObjective: The ethnic difference in the risk factors of acute pancreatitis remains unknown. The objective of this study is to investigate the differences in the risk factors of acute pancreatitis between Taiwanese aborigines and nonaborigines.Design: A retrospective study of 622 patients with acute pancreatitis admitted to our hospital (Puli Christian Hospital) from 2006 to 2014. The risk factors and biochemical properties of acute pancreatitis were comapred between aborgines and nonaborgines.Results: The first episode of acute pancreatitis amongst the aboriginal group was commonly observed in young age groups (39.3 versus 47.8 years, p < 0.05), female patients (0.61 versus 0.27, p < 0.05), and patients with a habit of drinking alcohol (84% versus 65%, p < 0.05). Analysis of the biochemical properties and risk factors demonstrated siginifcantly high uric acid levels (7.63 versus 6.56 mg/dL, p < 0.05), and an increased prevalence of alcohol-related pancreatitis (60.0% versus 49.6%, p < 0.05) in the aboriginal group.Conclusions: Taiwanese aborigines were reported to be more susceptible to alcohol-related pancreatitis than nonaborigines. The decreasing levels of excessive alcohol consumption may reduce the disease burden of acute pancreatitis.

Silent Crusade? Indigenous Women in Taiwanese Indigenous Movements

Among the various indigenous rights movements across different times in Taiwan, the presence of indigenous women often goes obscure. Although in recent years there has been a great deal of publications on Taiwanese indigenous movements, some of the literature —constructed under the structure of the indigenous knowledge system—, while insisting on the status and value of indigenous autonomy, tend to overlook the historical context in Taiwanese society of indigenous women who participated in social movements. What are the issues of concern? This paper primarily serves to reveal the “silent crusades” and to bring forward the directions of interests of the indigenous women’s movements by analyzing related reports, autobiographies, interview transcripts, texts, etc. spanning over two decades and published in the weekly newspaper of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), Taiwan Church News, in addition to in-depth interviews with the leaders of indigenous women’s social movements.

Christian protesters for democracy in Taiwan: a study of two American missionaries under Taiwanese martial law

Christians played a significant role in the course of Taiwan’s self-determination movements and the pro-democratic Tangwai movement during the 1960s and 1970s. While most researchers laid their focus on the Presbyterian Church ministers, the stories of Methodist pastor Milo Thornberry and Catholic priest Ronald Boccieri have rarely been mentioned. Thornberry helped Peng Ming-min to escape the country and Boccieri sheltered Chen Chu in his parish church. Consequently, the two American missionaries were listed as personae non gratae and expelled from the island by the Kuomintang (nationalist) regime. Although they were involved in the respective political incidents to different degrees, they had some things in common: compassion for native Taiwanese, concern for social justice and human rights, and conviction in witnessing to the gospel by non-violent action and fighting against injustice. This article uses interviews, autobiographies, memoirs, Foreign Ministry archives and newspapers to recount their stories that have not appeared in the historiography of their churches. It discusses how the Catholic and Methodist Churches maintained harmonious relations with the government for the benefit of their evangelistic work during the period of martial law. Finally it looks into the reasons why the two missionaries dared to disobey their churches’ official positions and the Washington government’s instruction that expatriates in Taiwan should not interfere in local politics.

Diverse Facets in Identities and Party Affiliations of Native Taiwanese Elders

There exists a conventional stereotype about native Taiwanese elders that were born in and lived through the Japanese rule before 1945. On the one hand, some politicians and political commentators derogatorily call them the “Kominka generation,” reinforcing the image of this group of having strong affection for and even intense loyalty to the previous Japanese regime. On the other hand, although many researchers have pointed out this cohorts’ strong cultural ties to Han ethnicity — some even possessed nostalgic feelings toward China — in the colonial period, the researchers also emphasized the emergence of their strong sense of being Taiwanese when they suffered various political and cultural discrimination from the new Chinese dominant class after 1945. Therefore, both perspectives falsely imagine this cohort to be definitely identifying themselves as Taiwanese, rejecting Chinese identity, opposing the Kuomintang (KMT), and supporting the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). This paper aims to challenge these stereotypes. By adopting the techniques of grounded theory, the paper shows rich diversity not only in this cohort’s perceptions toward the political parties but also in their identity patterns. Furthermore three themes are identified in these participants’ explanation for their political orientations: economic development, social stability and security, and the cultural hierarchy that gives the KMT elites higher symbolic values than native political elites.

Converging Mainlander and Native Taiwanese, 1949-2012

This paper uses a surname-based methodology to estimate the intergenerational correlation between native Taiwanese and mainlanders during 1949–2012. It finds that mainlanders, who initially had an advantage in higher education and high profile occupations, regressed towards population average at a relatively constant rate, which is much higher than suggested by previous studies. This paper argues that the difference either reflects a group-level inequality because of the impacts of kinships and extended families, or it measures the intergenerational correlation of an unobservable variable, the true underlying social status, which is imperfectly correlated with income, education, or occupation at the individual level.

Applying Accompany Model for the Cultural Development of Bunun and Siraya Tribes

Taiwanese aboriginal cultures have been lightly valued. This study attempts to use the Accompany Model to help the aborigines of the Bunun and Siraya tribes develop their cultural identity. It establishes the design system through education to develop the local aborigines’ traditional craft art, and to advance how the tribes learn and grow together through creative workshops. The Post-Colonialism, Cultural Identity, and Narratology theories were adapted to reach a deeper interaction by “accompanying” aborigines. This not only builds their self-identity but also allows for an understanding of their culture through In-Depth Interviews and Long-Term Participation. Several design projects for the Bunun tribe were created by the researchers who volunteered to initiate creative activities for the Siraya tribe in recent years. This was in response to the growing need to generate a deeper intercultural knowledge of the aboriginal cultural and creative industry in order to preserve their cultural elements for the younger generation and the public. Overall, this research, through a literature review and information about the current status of the investigation and enforcement, focuses on link design, story, and culture integration. This research was undertaken to help the aborigines in Taiwan recognize and value their multicultural heritage. In conclusion, the cultivation of a new aboriginal identity will achieve ethnic harmony locally and globally.

Intermedin A, a New Labdane Diterpene Isolated from Alpinia intermedia, Prolonged the Survival Time of P-388D1 Tumor-Bearing CDF1 Mice.

Eight ethanolic extracts of indigenous Taiwanese plants of the genus Alpinia were tested for tumor cytotoxicity against AGS, Hep G2, HeLa, KB, and HL-60 cells. Among the 50 % and 95 % EtOH extracts of eight Alpinia species, the cytotoxic effects of Alpinia intermedia leaves were the strongest. When the leaf extract of A.intermedia was partitioned using n-hexane and aqueous solvents, the n-hexane layer showed a greater cytotoxic effect and could prolong the survival time of P-388D1 tumor-bearing CDF1 mice. Two new labdane diterpene derivatives, intermedin A (1) and intermedin B (2), and coronarin E (3) were isolated from the n-hexane layer of A.intermedia. Intermedin A induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells at 30 µg/mL and significantly prolonged the survival time of P-388D1 tumor-bearing CDF1 mice by 48.7 % at 20 mg/kg of body weight. We suggest that intermedin A is a major compound of A.intermedia and has a cytotoxic effect on HL-60 and P-388D1 cells.

A Reflection on the Policy of Transcultural Long-Term Care for the Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan

Giving high-profile attention to socio-cultural and traditional beliefs in the promotion of long-term care policies enjoys strong, consensus support in the field of transcultural nursing. To protect the rights of indigenous people in Taiwan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare incorporated the concept of cultural care into the Long-term Care Services Act, which was approved by the Legislature in May 2014. However, the policies, resource strategies, manpower allocations, and staff educations and trainings related to this act are still await implementation in indigenous areas. Beyond the concept of professional healthcare, which considers cultural sensitivity, suitability, and ability, cultural care gives greater priority to crossing cultural barriers, integrating with the lifestyle of clients, and addressing their concerns in order to improve the well-being of target populations. The present article reviews current long-term care policy to highlight the importance of considering the cultural needs of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan in order to enhance the efficiency and impact of long-term care programs. Furthermore, the findings strongly recommend that additional resources be provided in order to meet the long-term care needs of indigenous communities. Finally, cultural-specific, long-term care service strategies should be promulgated in order to upgrade well-being in order to ease and comfort the feelings of indigenous people.

The Development of Research Ethics Involving Indigenous People in Taiwan: A Brief Introduction

Adhering to ethics protocols has become increasingly important in the process of doing research in Taiwan since the introduction of research-ethics mechanisms. Adhering to these protocols affects research on Taiwan's indigenous peoples due to the vulnerability of indigenous groups and to their increasing rights consciousness. The present paper explains the context of group rights from a national self-determination perspective and then discusses the current indigenous research-ethics mechanisms in Taiwan. The ethical guidelines for indigenous research in Canada, TCPS2 2014-Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans are referenced as a model for protocols that may foster positive and mutually trusting relationships between academic researchers and indigenous communities in Taiwan.

Looking again at Taiwan's Lü Hsiu-lien: A female vice president or a feminist vice president?

Synopsis In 2000, Lu Hsiu-lien was elected Taiwan's first female vice president, adding to the striking successes of Asian women in electoral politics. Lu differs from the majority of Asia's “ruling women” in two key respects: she was elected without reliance on “dynastic descent” and she has a long track record as a feminist activist. Her position as both a pioneering feminist and a female vice president prompts us to ask whether she was able to promote a pro-woman agenda during her tenure as vice president. We conclude that despite constraints on Lu's pursuit of an overt feminist agenda—including the patriarchal political culture and a gap between Lu and Taiwan's contemporary feminist movement—she is significant as a female leader who transcends both the Asian dynastic model and the tokenistic model of women as “flower vases,” while also contributing vitally to the development of an indigenous Taiwanese feminist theory.

Disparities in Ischemic Stroke Subtypes and Risk Factors between Taiwanese Aborigines and Han Chinese in Taitung, Taiwan

Summary Background There are two major ethnic categories in Taiwan, i.e., the Han Chinese (98%) and the Taiwanese Aborigines (2%). The interethnic disparities in ischemic stroke etiological subtypes, conventional and behavioral vascular risk factors were unknown. Methods From June 2007 to May 2009, a prospective stroke registry was conducted by a referral hospital in Taitung, Taiwan. Using the database, the interethnic disparities were examined by univariate analyses, followed by multivariate analysis of the ischemic stroke subtype [by TOAST (Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment) classification] with significant difference between the two ethnicities. Results We included 433 acute ischemic stroke patients, comprising 302 Han Chinese (70%) and 131 Aborigines (30%). The Taiwanese Aborigines are more likely to be illiterate and living in rural areas (both p p = 0.018), and to engage in alcohol drinking ( p = 0.046) and areca nut chewing ( p p = 0.022). Univariate analysis shows higher prevalence of cardioembolism among the Taiwanese Aborigines. However, ethnicity is not one of the independent variables of cardioembolism, which include atrial fibrillation [odds ratio (OR) = 28.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 13.39–58.72)], hyperlipidemia (OR = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.23–0.95), and areca nut chewing (OR = 2.85; 95% CI, 1.21–6.72). Conclusion Risk factors differ between the Han Chinese and the Taiwanese Aborigines, and areca nut chewing correlates with cardioembolic stroke. Future measures for stroke prevention should take these factors into consideration.

The English Experience Serves as a Pronunciation Guide Allowing Students by Analogy to Learn Spelling in Taiwan Aboriginal Languages: An Example of the Amis Ethnicity

Orthography is a set of conventions for representing language in written form; written forms are made up of graphic words, and such words, taking English for example, are composed by individual graphs or letters that represent sounds. Thus, writing systems are conventional visible marks for human communication (Gelb,1963: 12; Burnaby, 1997: 59; DeLancey, 1998). Written communication, furthermore, allows a culture to communicate in written form with its ancestors and with its progeny by crossing physical and time boundaries. All aboriginal languages spoken in Taiwan were in the past orally transmitted. As Fishman (1980: 169) writes, “Unless they are entirely withdrawn from the modern world, minority ethno-linguistic groups need to be literate in their mother tongue (as well as in some language of wider communication).” However, the language becomes vastly easier to learn and literacy is improved when the writing system is consistent. In Taiwan since 2001, English has been taught in our educational system from the fifth grade of the primary school onward. Students, therefore, know the alphabet and learn both the shapes of its 26 letters, the letter names, and the phonemic correspondence to these graphs, and it would be much easier to learn a system of phonetics for a pre-literate or semi-literate people group that uses letters found in the English alphabet, for the English experience serves as a pronunciation guide allowing students by analogy to learn spelling in their aboriginal languages. My intention in this paper through action research is to share what has been done for over thirty years to capitalize upon the fact that the students in Taiwan are already familiar with alphabetic writing because of their prior study of English. They would, therefore, be well-placed to transfer the regular sound-letter association which they have learned in English classes to the representation of the sounds of the various aboriginal languages of Taiwan. The great benefit of it is to make acknowledgement of the theme of translingualism, a process of empowerment. This empowerment of us in our daily life might produce an environment that fosters maturity and responsibility for our own circumstances. In a word, it would be easier to learn a system of phonetics that uses letters found in the English alphabet that serve as a pronunciation guide while making analogy in learning aboriginal languages.

Discrimination and incorporation of Taiwanese indigenous Austronesian peoples

This paper examines contemporary developments among Taiwan’s indigenous Austronesian peoples. We have reviewed major policy changes mainly since the 1980s and their impacts on later developments – both the positive improvements in general well-being and the persistence of ingrained problems among them. Major findings indicate two growing trends among Taiwanese Austronesians. One is the rise of interest in their cultures and efforts to preserve and restore selected indigenous customs and practices. The other trend is a continuous outflow of the indigenes from traditional tribal communities to urban centers for better employment, education, or health care. Their increasing urbanization also contributes to more inter-ethnic marriages and the loss of indigenous languages and practices. The case of Taiwanese Austronesians illustrates the impacts historical and politico-economic processes are having on indigenous peoples.

Investigating Taiwanese EFL digital natives' TPCK in teaching English to digital immigrants

This study investigates 23 Taiwanese EFL digital natives' technological paedagogical content knowledge TPCK in teaching English to 23 digital immigrants in a Multimedia in English Instruction class in a language teacher education program in a university in the northwest of Taiwan. The data analysis of interviews, final projects, and videos yielded the following major findings. First, the digital natives' TPCK was developed through collections of multimedia tools, teaching the digital immigrants, and activity designs. Second, these digital natives lacked competence in designing appropriate follow-up activities and tasks for the digital immigrants. Next, they also failed to provide step-by-step modelling and demonstration on using technology and multimedia tools. A framework on developing digital natives' TPCK includes introduction of multimedia tools, provision of step-by-step modelling, recognition of adult learners' needs, and designing interactive follow-up tasks.

台湾原住民族“猎首”习俗的心灵疗愈因子—以泰雅族为例

本研究透过文献分析探讨早期台湾原住民族(泰雅族及太鲁阁族)之“猎首”习俗之动机、仪式与禁忌，并从中发掘隐含的心灵疗愈因子与其精神生活、族群观念与社会制度之间的关系。在探索的过程中，研究者发现原住民族的“祖灵信仰”教导其族人个人美德，人际行为，以及在家庭与社会的伦理准则。其中，泰雅族男子所承袭的“猎首”习俗，不只代表其依祖先所留下的gaga (规范与戒律)，同时也是展现其个人勇气，能力，荣誉的象征。此外，泰雅族人透过重复性的“猎首”与仪式，提醒自己在族群中的角色，并且通过实践伦理和善尽责任来维系，转化或重整家族的秩序。他们仰赖祖灵的“神判”与庇佑来避免不幸之事端或可能导致的族群混乱或发展上的停滞。对泰雅族而言，“猎首”为“祖灵信仰”的一部分。身处艰困的环境当中，“猎首”习俗不仅为族人减缓生存压力，提供积极的生活态度，满足心灵上所需要的安定与和谐，还为他们提供预测未来，理解生命，以及找寻人类存在之终极意义的途径，同时，也借此维系与保存了部落的文化、传统与价值观。最后，期许本文能够促进读者对原住民族传统文化与多元文化保存议题的关注与讨论，并在不断追求科学与人文的融通中，消弭人们彼此之间的割裂与疏离，回归道德与心灵的圆满。 This study analyzes literature to discuss the motives, rituals and taboos of the head-hunting cus-toms of the Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples during early times. Through such analysis, we aim to explore the relations between the implicit spiritual healing factors of the head-hunting customs and spiritual life, ethnic concepts and social systems of the Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples (the Atayal tribe, specifically). During the research process, we realize that the spiritual beliefs of the Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples bring about personal virtues, standards for interpersonal behavior, and the ethical criterion for family and social life. Among the head-hunting customs, the ones inherited by the Atayal men not only represent the gaga (norms and precepts) of their ancestors, but are also a display of personal courage, ability, and honor. Moreover, the Atayal people are reminded of their roles in their communities through repeated head-hunting customs and ceremonies. Through practicing their moral standards and fulfilling responsibility, they are able to maintain, convert, or reform family order. They rely on ancestral ordeal and blessing to avoid unfortunate incidents, confusion or stagnation in development. For the Atayal people, the head-hunting custom is a part of their ancestral belief. In difficult environments, head hunting customs are not only able to reduce survival pressure, but are also able to provide a positive attitude towards life, meet stability and spiritual needs, predict the future, and help the practitioners find a way to understand the ultimate meaning of human existence. Furthermore, it is able to maintain and conserve the culture, traditions and values of the tribes. Finally, we expect this study to help people pay attention to the traditional culture of the Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples and multicultural preservation issues. Through the constant pursuit of integrating the scientific and humanistic studies, it is possible to eliminate the fragmentation and alienation between individuals, and help each individual achieve moral and spiritual content.