Insights into Indigenous Lifeworlds of Taiwan: Sharing Bunun Experiences of 'Returning to Reconnect' (na taskun musuqis)

Tana Takisvilainan (Panay Kumod/ 黃雅憶)

• Master of Indigenous Studies and Victoria University of Wellington, (M.A.)
• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Master of Indigenous Studies.

How are ancient cultures being renewed in the new digital age of technology?

Abstract

Since the 18th century, the Bunun people had been living along Taiwan's Central Mountain Range where they built dwellings, formed villages, burned areas in the mountains for planting, and maintained the lifestyle of hunting and gathering in the south and north of the Lakulaku River up until 1935 when they were forced by the Japanese colonial government to relocate to the plain area, where their current tribes are. Although the Bunun lost their lands, they made sure that they never forgot their ancestral lands by naming their current inhabited areas after their ancestral lands. In 2017, the Bunun worked with the government to rebuild their traditional stone slab houses in Qaising.

The Bunun people carried stone slabs on their back to rebuild their ancestral houses. They also reshape the way they think about their ancestral houses. Those who hike the Batongguan Historic Trail will see remnants from the Japanese colonial period and the ancient sites of the Bunun's ancestral houses and the early lives of the Bunun people. As cultural guides, we tell the history and story of this trail to help more people understand the history of this ancient trail and preserve the cultural memory of how the Bunun coexisted with the land. By recreating the historical sites through the use of digital technologies such as AR, we are able to showcase old pictures of Bunun's history and culture featuring their 3-inch speed guns, traditional ancestral houses, herringbone stone walls, and pontoon bridges.

Vava Isingkaunan (簡志霖)

• Taipei National University of the Arts
• Graduate Institute of Architecture and Cultural Heritage (M.A.)

Research Topic

Bunun Revitalization - Cultural heritage ( Laipunuk 20-year Return Action Research)

Abstract

Nowaday, with the promotion of national policies, the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples has gradually gained attention. Looking at the process of tangible cultural heritage of indigenous peoples (traditional houses: stone houses), as early as the period of indigenous autonomy, grassroots "root-seeking" cultural revitalization activities began. The development in different regions varies greatly. When this action began to connect with national-level cultural heritage policies, there was often a lack of understanding of the existing cultural preservation practices and technological transformation of indigenous peoples. The evaluation of their value still remains in the "documentary-style" misconception. In addition, the lack of adoption of the long-standing "return action" context in the local area has led to difficulties in implementation and subsequent management and maintenance. Therefore, this writing aims to recognize the spiritual value of the "return action" and focus on the 20-year continuous action of Laipunuk. It will then compare and analyze the development of return actions in three regions: Kasing (Jiaxin ) in Hualien Zhuoxi. Through this, it will explore the necessity and sustainability between "return action" and "cultural heritage" in cultural actions with the purpose of preservation, as a reflection.

Abus Istasipal Tanapima (Abus Istasipal / YU, AN-CHI/余安琪)

• National Dong Hwa University Department of Indigenous Affairs and Development (M.S.S.)

The sound changes of the Bunun tribe's Takbanuaz community

Abstract

This research primarily explores the monophthong in the Bunun tribe's Takbanuaz community. It examines the impact of the transition from oral communication in the past to instructional and certification-based written language presentation on the spoken language within the Bunun tribe's Takbanuaz community. 

This study focuses on the Takbanuaz communities in Hualien and Nantou and observes language changes from two perspectives: a contemporary synchronic and diachronic. Therefore, I will collect phonetic and linguistic data through personal interviews and Japanese literature, employing comparative methods and reconstruction techniques. Through the lens of language change, I will analyze phonetic variations in the Bunun tribe's Takbanuaz community. 

Phonetic variations can be categorized into conditional and unconditional. The former refers to phonetic changes that occur in specific environments, while the latter does not have identifiable related contexts. Therefore, even though most phonetic variations are systematic and gradual, there are still some that do not follow a clear pattern. Before establishing language relationships, it is necessary to determine whether similarities are due to borrowing, coincidence, shared inheritance, or a common origin of words. After clarifying this through comparative methods, one can then construct the language based on the words of common origin.

Finally, through this research, the synchronic and diachronic perspectives are employed to understand and identify language changes in the Bunun tribe Takbanuaz community.

Abus Istasipal (CHENG,YI-CHUN/鄭儀君)

• National Dong Hwa University Department of Indigenous Languages and Communication (B.A.)

Binary discourses and Co-management of natural resources

Abstract

This research delves into the intersection of binary discourses and co-management strategies in natural resource governance, with a specific case study of the Fengping Hydropower Development Project. It seeks to understand the tensions between centralized control and indigenous community involvement within the broader context of sustainable resource management. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, this study examines the influence of power dynamics, historical narratives, and stakeholder perspectives on decision-making processes and resource utilization.

In the formal political vote, the Fengping hydropower development project garnered the majority consent of the indigenous community, setting it apart from trends in other countries. From the viewpoint of an indigenous researcher, the indigenous community opposes the destruction of nature and possesses traditional knowledge about natural resource management. This voting result has sparked extensive discussions.

The Fengping case study sheds light on the challenges and opportunities for more inclusive and sustainable co-management models. Findings underscore the importance of addressing binary discourses and fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders as essential steps toward achieving effective and equitable natural resource management in a rapidly evolving world.