An indigenous elder in Taiwan is greatly concerned about companies using indigenous geothermal lands for profit with little regard for mana whenua. The land in question is being used for thermal spas and geothermal power stations but, because the land was confiscated, mana whenua have seen no benefits from these resources.
Problems with confiscated indigenous lands are seen and felt widely in Taiwanese Indigenous communities.
The Taiwanese elder, Laising Sawawan, believes the geothermal potential the land of his people holds is much greater than what it’s currently doing.
“The problem is the site has the potential to do something for the greater good but the government does not have policies available to develop and to do the research to see what the real potential is. I think the site has real potential but the government doesn’t want to invest in its development or research the size of the geothermal power that we could potentially see,” he says.
The site in question is Hong Yi, a geothermal hot spring and spa located along the eastern coast of Taiwan. It’s a spa open for all but has no special benfits for the indigneous people.
Sawawan says perhaps with a collective movement indigenous communities could hold ownership over their own natural resources.
“We don’t have a real entity to represent our voices. That’s why I want to have a tribal assembly to stand as a tribal sovereign entity so we can meet with the government to discuss matters that pertain to us on behalf of our own tribes.”
Māori ownership over their own land and resources in Aotearoa has been a long fought battle. However, it is ahead of many indigenous cultures world wide.
One example is Waiariki Rotorua, a spa and relaxation getaway in the heart of Rotorua, owned and run by Ngāti Whakaue. Descendants also reap the benefits in discounts and employment.
The major issue for Indigneous Taiwanese is they are without a document that seals the collaboration efforts between foreginers and indigenous.
“The problem here in Taiwan is that we don’t have real sovereignty, so we don’t have a collective right to negotiate. You have the Treaty of Waitangi, which entitles you to the land, resources and rights, but in Taiwan we don’t have that so we still need to fight for that.”
Indigenous peoples of Taiwan are still searching for a way to ensure their future and in doing so are trying to retain their own identity and sovereignty.
This story was made with the help from Asia New Zealand Foundation
