Taiwan names August 1 as Indigenous Peoples Day

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-29
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The date marks the anniversary of the inclusion of aboriginal rights in the Constitution, which took place on August 1, 1994. The amendment also abandoned the previous official name for the indigenous residents, who were sometimes disparagingly described as “mountain compatriots.” Taiwan officially counts 14 indigenous peoples, with more than 530,000 members or about 2.3 percent of the population.

The government’s Council of Indigenous Peoples was the author of the proposal for a national day. Council officials said the 1994 constitutional amendments allowed the indigenous Taiwanese for the first time to use a name of their own choice, symbolizing the regaining of self-respect and the acquisition of a correct position in society.

The anniversary also reminds Taiwanese about their history, since the indigenous peoples have been present on the island for at least 6,000 years.