To commemorate the 25th anniversary of rectifying the official designation for Taiwan's first inhabitants, an exhibition took place from Nov. 29, 2019 to Feb. 2, 2020 at the Taitung-based National Museum of Prehistory, recounting the decade-long movement it took for indigenous peoples to gain recognition of their status as Taiwan's "original owners" through their own eyes.
The exhibition featured a spirited theme surrounding poems and songs inspired by the movement, highlighting the voices of the indigenous participants and the civil disobedience approach they took up to stop the use of a discriminatory appellation.
Through historic images and banners illustrating how the indigenous inhabitants struggled for their rights, the exhibition co-organized by the Council of Indigenous Peoples also hoped to foster a greater public understanding of how significant reclaiming their identity is for the once-voiceless population, after having to endure more than four centuries of inequality.
While the island had been governed by a succession of foreign rulers since the 17th century, the indigenous peoples of Taiwan were consistently dismissed as "others" apart from the dominant population of the time. Assimilation policies carried out by colonial administrations had also severely undermined the fabric of indigenous identities as well as their right to traditional ways of life.
It was not until the 1980s that indigenous groups officially demanded the reinstatement of their full rights. Following the rise of Taiwan's nativist consciousness, the nation's original inhabitants organized street movements, initiated petitions, and called on mainstream society to address their disadvantaged circumstances, paving the way for the restoration of their status and rights and further advancing the development of Taiwanese democracy.
1984 marked the beginning of the name rectification movement, and the result of their efforts was that after four decades of use, the term "mountain-dwelling compatriots" (shan bao) was officially replaced with "original inhabitants" (yuan zhu min) on Aug. 1, 1994.
Then in 2016, the Cabinet approved a proposal to designate Aug. 1 Indigenous Peoples' Day (yuan zhu min ri) in Taiwan. A comprehensive timeline is included in the exhibition pamphlet, which can be downloaded from the Council of Indigenous Peoples' website here.
‘Revisiting the Name Rectification Movement: 25th Anniversary Exhibition’
Date: Nov. 29, 2019 – Feb. 2, 2020
Venue: National Museum of Prehistory
Address: No. 1 Museum Road, Taitung City, Taitung County, Taiwan (ROC)
Hours: 9am – 5pm (Closed on Mondays)