1,336 people officially recognized as Siraya since July: CIP

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) A total of 1,336 people had completed registration as Indigenous Siraya people by the end of September, following the government's official recognition of the Siraya as Taiwan's 17th Indigenous group in July, the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) said Wednesday.

Since the Plains Indigenous Peoples Status Act took effect in October 2025, the CIP has received applications for recognition from nine groups: the Siraya, Taivoan, Makatao, Taokas, Kaxabu, Pazeh, Papora, Babuza and Ketagalan.

The law, which was passed by the Legislature on Oct. 17, 2025, aims to give Plains Indigenous groups' the right to receive official recognition and maintain their collective identity.

According to the CIP's report to the Legislature on Wednesday, applications to be listed on the Siraya membership register and to register Indigenous status opened on Aug. 13.

By the end of September, 12,178 people had applied to be listed on the membership register, of whom 1,336 had completed registration and obtained officially recognized Plains Indigenous status as Siraya people, the CIP said.

Applications from the Pazeh, Kaxabu and Taokas are expected to proceed to review by a panel of experts and scholars, while a draft set of eligibility requirements for membership in the Taivoan group is expected to be released, the council said.

To qualify for Plains Indigenous status, applicants must provide supporting documentation. One important source is population census records from the Japanese colonial period, which identified their communities and defined the areas where they lived.

The Plains Indigenous people's movement for official recognition began in the 1990s. Before then, they were considered to have largely assimilated into the majority population under the Kuomintang government after it took power in 1945.

Before the Siraya's recognition, Taiwan officially recognized 16 Indigenous groups, generally classified as Mountain Indigenous.