Though Taiwan's aboriginal people represent less than 2% of the overall population, celebration of their culture is experiencing a ser...
Though Taiwan's aboriginal people represent less than 2% of the overall population, celebration of their culture is experiencing a serious heyday in Taiwan. Part of this has to do with the ongoing quest for a true 'Taiwanese' identity; not one necessarily independent from that of Han China, but one not totally viewed through the prism of China either. Taiwan's aboriginal culture has been touted especially heavily in various tourist campaigns, both internationally and regionally throughout Taiwan, so much so that first-time travellers to Taiwan might be led to believe that Taiwanese of non-Han descent represent a larger percentage of the population than the actually do. Some are cynical of Taiwan's usage of aboriginal imagery in light of the fact that for decades, prosperity largely bypassed aboriginal communities.
While we don't wish to be overly Pollyana-ish about it, what we hear while travelling among aboriginal communities is that a fair majority of Taiwan's aboriginals are taking a 'better late than never' attitude towards the sudden government and societal recognition of their contributions. To be sure, many issues remain unresolved (particularly on Lanyu, where hundreds of barrels of nuclear waste still remain buried on the island's southern end, continuing to affect the health of the native Yami tribe). But on the whole, travel and tourism seems to be playing a positive role in the empowerment of Taiwan's aboriginal people.
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