Crying in the Land By Omi Wilang
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oil and ground, we call it land. But what exactly is in the name of land?” In a highly competitive and profit-oriented era, land has become an important tool for the business development. The Han Chinese people believe: “No land, no fortune. On land, one builds his fortune!” Under this mindset, Han people has been good in land management. But what does land mean to the indigenous people of Taiwan? The Apache believe: “Man is but part of the ecosystem centred by land.” The indigenous tribes in Australia look at the land as an intimate member of the family like brothers or sisters. As to Tao people, one of the indigenous tribes of Taiwan, they pray and pay tributes to the trees before cutting them down to make boats with lumbers. "Natural forests are our close relatives," asserted Pusin Tali , Dean of Yu-shan Theological College and Seminary, in his book “The Existential Theology of the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan.” Indigenous peoples worldwide see land as the origin of “life”, because a great majority of them make their living on land. Furthermore, land gives the meaning of life to indigenous peoples. Land is indeed the source of the tribal culture formed by history, folktale, religion, and liturgies that constitute their ethnic identity. The relationship between people and their land is so intimate; it’s just like water to the fish and the soil to the vegetations. In recent years, we have seen the land of Taiwan being
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exploited extensively by interest groups with approvals from the government administrations. From the high mountains to the coastal areas, no matter where the land is located at hilly sites, sprinkle-lake areas or open country, the interest groups could always package the land in the name of economical development to advance their own profits. The government and interest groups ignored the outcries of the soil. They barely care about the natural and necessary conditions to nurture and restore the soil.
Tao people (Yami), Taiwan 1897 (No.7187). Image by 鳥居龍蔵（1870-1953）.
“The government and interest groups ignored the outcries of the soil. They barely care the natural and necessary conditions to nurture and restore the soil.”
Let’s talk about the true story of "The strugglings against ACC(Asia Cement Corporation)" as a vivid example. Right before 1969, on the land of the Indigenous Taiwanese, the government made a censorship which would facilitate people to register the ownership of the land. The law requires the land solely for agricultural use at the time. Indigenous people could claim their land ownership when they have cultivated the land for 10 years. Therefore, before the ownership is available for ten years of working, the indigenous Taiwanese only has the right to cultivate the land. In 1973, the ACC arrived and made application to the Township Office of Shoulin Village in
