Pazeh people apply for recognition of official Indigenous status

Nantou, May 9 (CNA) The Pazeh people have applied to become the 17th officially recognized Indigenous tribe in Taiwan, the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) said Thursday.

Several Pazeh people associations from Nantou, Miaoli and Taichung delivered an application to the council on Wednesday in a bid to receive official recognition as the country's 17th Indigenous tribe.

Bauke Abuk (潘英寬), head of the Nantou County Pazeh Ethnic Culture Association, who has long been committed to the promotion, preservation and research of the Pazeh language, folk songs and culture and led Indigenous peoples name rectification movement, said the Pazeh have promoted the revival of their language and culture for more than 25 years.

As such, they decided to apply to become Taiwan's 17th officially recognized Indigenous tribe, Bauke added.

He added that the traditional territory of the Pazeh tribe, a subgroup of the Taiwan Plains Indigenous Peoples in central Taiwan, stretches from the north bank of Daan River to the south bank of Dajia River, covering Sanyi and Jhoulan in Miaoli, as well as Shihgang, Fongyuan, Daya and Beitun in Taichung. Later on, some members of the community migrated to the Ailan Plateau in Puli Township, Nantou County.

The "plains" peoples, also known as Pingpu peoples, are Taiwanese Indigenous peoples who originally lived in lowland areas, as opposed to highland Indigenous peoples.

Currently, there are 16 officially recognized Indigenous tribes in Taiwan: Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Yami, Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Sakizaya, Sediq, Hla'alua and Kanakanavu.

The plains Indigenous peoples headed by the Siraya, have struggled to have their Indigenous status recognized as "lowland" Indigenous peoples.

However, in 2022 the Constitutional Court ruled that the Siraya and other Pingpu groups have the right to be recognized as "Indigenous," and gave the government a three-year deadline to implement a law to facilitate their recognition.

The ruling came after the Council of Indigenous Peoples rejected an attempt by the Siraya to register as Indigenous in 2012 and the legal case reached the Constitutional Court in 2020.

After the Constitutional Court ruling, the Siraya, Kaxabu and Pazeh applied to be officially recognized as plains Indigenous groups, according to the council, which said it will deal with these applications in accordance with due process.