The Yilan County Government has been accused of discrimination over its National Indigenous Games slogan, which plays on the accent some Aborigines have when they speak Mandarin.
The slogan (“原來拿麼力High”) uses characters that are pronounced in a similar way as the phrase “have always been that incredible” (原來那麼厲害), with tones that emphasize some of the characters.
The county government on Tuesday said that the slogan was inspired by the “popular way of speaking among our Aboriginal friends,” which also makes it more “lively and amicable.”
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
However, people have criticized the slogan online, calling it “extremely discriminatory.”
“I was dumbfounded when I first saw it,” one person wrote.
Another asked: “Is this really OK?”
Action Alliance to Protect Yilan’s Mountains and Streams convener Sun Phok-ju said that the way county officials spoke about the slogan at an event last year gave her pause.
When discussing their reasoning, the officials repeatedly imitated the way they believe Aborigines draw out the character na in name lihai (那麼厲害), Sun said.
Their actions constitute a “microaggression,” she said.
A microaggression is a subtle and often unintentionally discriminatory statement or action against a member of a marginalized group.
Other examples of microaggressions against Aborigines include assuming that they can sing well or have a high alcohol tolerance, Sun said.
When repeated enough, people begin to subconsciously equate people of a certain group with the stereotypes ascribed to them, she said, adding that even though some people subjected to microaggressions might say they are harmless, the topic is still worth discussing.
Yilan County Councilor Aly Saku said that in many Aboriginal languages, drawing out a syllable gives it emphasis, like saying “more” or “very.”
For example, in the Amis language, itiraw means “over there,” but if the middle syllable is lengthened, it means the object is farther away, Aly Saku said, adding that widespread discussion of the Games slogan could help people learn more about Aboriginal languages.
The Yilan County Education Department said that everyone interprets words differently, but the intention of the slogan is positive.
When the county was deciding on a slogan, it received input from Aboriginal community members, who said they thought the phrase was “lively and amicable,” it said.
The Games are to be held from March 19 to 22, featuring traditional competitive activities, such as hunting and archery, alongside track and field, baseball, basketball and other sports.
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