Taiwan Church News 3311 Edition August 10 - 16, 2015 Ministry News Aboriginal Perspective Of Taiwan History Is Overlooked In Recent Debate Of Curriculum Guideline AdjustmentReported by Chiu Kuo-rong Though an illegally adjusted curriculum guideline about Taiwan history was requested to postpone by high schoolstudents, yet from the aboriginal point of view, it's still a pity that the aboriginal perspective of Taiwan history was overlooked among this important event. Isak Aafo, an Evangelist in PCT West Amis Presbytery and former commissioner in Council of Indigenous Peoples,said: "The historical perspective of Taiwan's indigenous peoples needs to be constructed by contemporary aboriginal peoples themselves". Aboriginal Youth Front(AYF), an young-generation group within the indigenous movement, reminded that "the curriculum guidelines have to be compliant to 'Education Act For Indigenous Peoples'". Isak Aafo remarked that, after the contesting social debate about curriculum guidelines, three kinds of historicalperspectives were evidently recognized within Taiwan society: PRC-centric, ROC-centric and Taiwan-centric. Yet there was a fourth historical perspective and consciousness struggling to emerge: the aboriginal, said Isak Aafo, which was new-born and still fragile to speak out for herself. Meanwhile, due to the manoeuvre by Education Department, KMT politics and media, supporters of Taiwan-centric history perspective were charged to wipe out the aboriginal historical perspectives after this curriculum guidelines debate. As this was absolutely not true, Isak Aafo suggested supporters of Taiwan-centric history perspective to clarify their inclusive stance on this issue. AYF stressed that, whatever kinds of curriculum guidelines appeared up to present, 2% aboriginal peoples werealways treated as the "object" even their existence had spanned across 98% of whole Taiwan history. So, the curriculum guidelines for the next generations of the aboriginal peoples has to be leaglly established according to Education Act For Indigenous Peoples. Translated by Peter Wolfe |