The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a move to add two more groups — the Kanakanavu (卡那卡那富) and Hla’alua (拉阿魯哇) people — to the nation’s 14 officially recognized Aborigine groups.
Hailing from mountain villages in southern Taiwan, Kanakanavu people and Hla’alua people are mainly based in Greater Kaohsiung’s Namasiya Township (那瑪夏) and Taoyuan District (桃源) respectively.
The official recognition was welcomed with traditional celebrations, cultural dances and music in a ceremony at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: CNA
Kanakanavu people, who number about 600, and Hla’alua people, numbering about 500, have smaller populations than the nation’s major Aborigine groups.
An official at the Council of Indigenous Peoples said these groups were previously classified as Tsou (鄒) people, but their languages, cultural traditions and ritual ceremonies differ from those of the Tsou.
An assessment study undertaken by researchers at National Chengchi University’s Center for Aboriginal Studies indicated that the two groups each had their own cultural characteristics and ethnic identities, and therefore should be recognized as two distinct Aborigine groups.
Photo: CNA
An earlier, traditional classification held that the nation is home to the so-called “nine mountain Aborigine groups” — the Amis, Atayal, Puyuma, Bunun, Paiwan, Rukai, Saisiyat, Tsou and Yami peoples.
Since 2001, the government has recognized five more Aboriginal peoples: the Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Sakizaya and Sediq.
However, the government has excluded 10 lowland Pingpu Aborigine groups from official recognition, activists have said.
Despite decades of struggle for Aboriginal rights and their lobbying efforts, the government still denies recognition to the Pingpu groups of Babuza, Hoanya, Kaxabu, Ketagalan, Makatao, Pazeh, Papora, Siraya, Taokas and Tavorlong.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS