PheNpou-chok iaukiu siat 1--e hengcheng-iN PheNpouchok uioanhoe.

<http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/09/23/2003203987>
Plains aborigines propose Cabinet-level recognition

PETITION: Members of the 10 `pingpu' tribes yesterday called for formation of 
a committee under the Cabinet to help preserve their heritage 
By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER 
Thursday, Sep 23, 2004,Page 4 

The 10 pingpu (å¹³å) Aboriginal tribes yesterday launched a signature drive to
 petition for the establishment of a pingpu Aboriginal tribe committee under t
he Executive Yuan to preserve their languages and heritage.
"Our ancestors came to this island about 4,000 years ago, about 3,600 to 3,800
 years earlier than the Han and Hakka people," said Stephen Pan (æ½å²é) of th
e Babuza tribe from Miaoli County. "Although we're a minority group, it's unfa
ir that the government totally ignores our existence." 

restructuring

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang (è¡ç
e̍ó͘) said he 
supported the tribes' cause and would help push for the passage of the law to 
establish the committee in the legislature.

"While the Executive Yuan is trying to streamline itself from the current 36 e
ntities down to 22, I thought it'd be a better idea to establish the committee
 under the proposed culture and sports ministry instead of as a new commission
," he told the Taipei Times.

Chanting "pingpu people are the mother of Taiwanese people" and "we want to li
ve here forever," about 20 pingpu Aborigines gathered in downtown Taipei yeste
rday afternoon to call on the Executive Yuan and Legislative Yuan to support t
heir cause.

The Chinese immigrants used the terms pingpu fan (撟喳蝒), or "savages on the 
plain," to describe the lowland Aborigines and kaoshan fan (擃撅望) to describ
e the indigenous people living in mountain areas.

Unlike the kaoshan Aborigines, whose livelihood depended on hunting, the pingp
u Aborigines are described in historical documents as fishermen, with few agri
cultural skills. 

Over the centuries, the pingpu interbred with Han Chinese and most of their la
nguage and customs have been lost.

Like the kaoshan Aborigines' 10 sub-tribes -- all of which have already been r
ecognized as official tribes -- the pingpu people also consist of 10 sub-tribe
s.

The 10 recognized kaoshan Aboriginal tribes are the Atayal, Saisiyat, Bunun, T
sou, Paiwan, Rukai, Puyuma, Amis, Tao and Thao. The 10 pingpu tribes are the K
avalan, Siraya, Makatao, Hoanya, Babuza, Kakabu, Pazeh, Papora, Ketagalan and 
Taokas.

recognition

In 2001, the DPP-led government recognized the Thao (éµ) of Sun Moon Lake in N
antou County as the nation's 10th official tribe, and in 2002 it recognized th
e Kavalan (?蝒霅), an assimilated plains tribe, as the 11th. 

The Truku (憭芷陌憌) people of Hualien County were recognized as the nation's 12
th indigenous tribe in January this year following a controversial, decade-lon
g effort by activist Pan Wen-kuei (瞏緡眼) of the Makatao tribe from Pingtung 
County. Pan said that if the DPP government really means what it says about "l
ocalization," it should make efforts to establish the pingpu Aboriginal tribe 
committee.

"The government should face the issue fair and square," he said. "I'm afraid i
f we don't do it now, it'll be too late." 
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