The People

Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric human habitation in Taiwan that dates back 12,000 to 15,000 years, long before Han Chinese (mainly Fukienese and Hakka) came over from southeastern China in significant numbers. The evidence proves that Taiwan's aborigines came from at least two places: southern China and Austronesia. In general, early settlers from southern China located in northern and central Taiwan, while Australoid settlements were mainly in southern Taiwan and along the eastern coast.

There are currently nine major aboriginal peoples in Taiwan: the Atayal, Saisiyat, Bunun, Tsou, Paiwan, Rukai, Puyuma, Ami and Yami. Some early plains-dwelling aborigines have ceased to exist as distinct groups due to assimilation with Han Chinese over the last three centuries. The mountain peoples have been better able to maintain their cultural identities by resisting intermarriage with the Han. In 1995, the population of Taiwan's indigenous people was just under 370,000. More than one-third were Ami people, while the Yami accounted for less than 4 ,000. Many indigenous people live on land in mountainous regions zoned as reservations, which cannot be sold to non-aborigines.

Characteristics formerly common to all or most of the groups include a belief in animism, a lack of shrines or sanctuaries of any kind within tribal settlements (except for the kuba of the Paiwan people), a lack of written language, horizontal back-strap loom weaving and in-woven design , bark cloth making (tapa), ironsmithing to make knives, spear points, and other implements, slash-and-burn cultivation, cultivation of millet and tuber crops such as sweet potatoes and taro, production of fermented-grain wine (except among the Yami), treatment of disease by trained female shamans, the hunting of deer, wild boar, and other animals with bow and arrow, harpoonlike spears, snares and traps, and head-hunting (except among the Yami).

Culture Clash

As the aborigines have more and more contact with the Han Chinese majority in Taiwan, their cultures are increasingly challenged. The "concrete housing incident" is an example of fiascoes that can occur when cultures come into conflict.

In 1967, hoping to improve the lives of the aboriginal residents, the government built steel-reinforced concrete public housing on Orchid Island. Though these were offered free of charge to Yamis, there were few takers.

"That was because to the Yamis, the number of doors on a dwelling symbolizes the owner's social standing," explains Li Yi-yuan, a member of the Academia Sinica. "Those of high rank may have five entrances. But the concrete houses only had one door, so for them to move in would have meant the abandonment of a social value system." The Yamis wound up using many of the buildings to keep livestock in.

Today, most of the Yami have moved to concrete structures, complete with TVs, refrigerators and VCRs, but they ordinarily add a traditional open-air pavilion next to their homes. "Coexistence between old and new" is a typical compromise reflecting their adjustment to the incoming culture.

Hope for the Future

Education is increasingly providing a way for young aborigines in Taiwan to participate in mainstream Chinese culture. In 1994, almost 50,000 aborigines graduated from middle school. More than 2,500 graduated from a university or technical college, and a significant number participated in master's and doctoral programs in foreign countries.

The overall educational and income levels of Taiwan's aborigines, however, still lag behind those of the Chinese, and many aborigines face acute social problems such as alcoholism, unemployment and adolescent prostitution. In 1992, the Ministry of the Interior began implementing a six-year plan which called for spending approximately US$8 million to promote aboriginal culture and to provide urban-based aborigines with subsidized medical care, legal advice, educational guidance for adolescents, employment counseling, and loans for setting up businesses. At the same time, the Taiwan Provincial Government drew up a plan to improve the roads which link aboriginal villages with nearby metropolitan communities, further shortening the gap in living standards between aborigines and the general citizenry of Taiwan.

Tzu Chi's Involvement

Most citizens in Taiwan are now covered by national health insurance. However, in many mountain areas, there are only public health nurses in small clinics-or there may be no clinic at all-and it may take hours to travel down to see a doctor. The inconvenience of transportation and the inadequacy of medical resources in these remote mountain areas often prevent residents from receiving adequate health care.

For years, Tzu Chi Hospital in Hualien has been providing free medical clinics in these mountain areas. The mobile clinics combine doctors, public health nurses, rehabilitation specialists, social workers and local specialists to bring medical care close to the residents. Through medical intervention, aboriginal communities become aware that living habits and cultural differences can generate serious health problems.