Taiwan Indigenous News
Tuesday, 25 October 2005
Female head of the national park system seeks to improve parks
... She said she could sense the wisdom of the mountain forests as passed down throughout the ages by Taiwan's indigenous peoples. The ...
Hsieh reveals moves to help indigenous students
... crystal display television to the students at an elementary school in Taitung County and announced more measures to help Taiwan's indigenous children secure ...
Tribe wants official recognition
... "Taiwan's indigenous tribes are all unique minorities in this country, but we are all the original residents of the island. Every ...
Passing of Lopex-Dawai
photo: Kimi Sibal (1997)
95-year old Lopex-Dawai of the Truku tribe in Hualian, passed away in the evening of May 9th. Known as Lopex-Dawai (路貝達外) in Atayal or 田阿貴 (Tian A-gui) in Chinese, she was a resident of Wen-lan village (文蘭村) in the Xiu-lin township (秀林鄉) of Hualian (花蓮). Lopex-Dawai died of heart failure shortly after cutting her cake on the evening of mother's day with her two daughters. Lopex-Dawai was originally of the Tian-Xiang tribe (天祥部落) and later moved to Xiu-lin township (秀林鄉). She was a kind person, skilled in weaving and farmed in the mountains when she was younger. She worked hard and was a model for her community.
Having outlived her five sons, no one was left to provide for her coffin and burial. Hualen County Commisioner, Hsieh ShenShan (花蓮縣長謝深山) has stepped forward to make arrangements for the funeral.
There remain only twenty-odd tattooed Atayals island-wide, of those the youngest is 87 years old. In Hualian county there remain only two fully-tattooed and six partially-tattooed. The two surviving fully-tattooed elders are 98 and 101 years old. The tattooed elders of Xiu-lin township have disappeared especially quickly. In 1993 there remained 82, a year later only 42, in 1999 only 18, now there are only six surviving.
- Interviewed in July, 2004 (Chinese)
- 2002 Survey Taroko indigenous survey (Chinese)