After centuries of migration by ethnic Han from China and a 50-year occupation by Japan, the island's Indigenous tribes had found themselves marginalized in their own native lands and hoped that the new administration would be open to a new approach.
"My father and other leaders knew that Indigenous peoples were colonized and suppressed," said Avai."They hoped that with the arrival of , they would be able to change our fate."
Today, Taiwan's government estimates that between 18,000 and 28,000 people lost their lives in that crackdown, known as the"White Terror". Uyongu and many other Indigenous leaders were among them.Fast forward seven decades, and the dynamic driving relations between Taiwan's government and its Indigenous communities has been transformed.
"To highlight the uniqueness of Taiwan from China, the ethnic Han population in Taiwan are now emphasizing Indigenous cultures and are paying more and more attention to it," Vayayana said. Alongside this growing recognition of its Indigenous population came increasing efforts at reconciliation by the government, which culminated in in Taipei's first formal apology to the Indigenous communities in 2016.
Such developments have brought hope to people like Avai, who last month made the 200 kilometer trip to Taipei from his home in Chiayi county to claim the money.The government currently recognizes 16 Indigenous groups with a combined population of about 580,000, or about 2.5% of Taiwan's population of 23.5 million.
But the conflicts were not only with the Han. The Tsou and other tribes also suffered under the Japanese, who took control of Taiwan in 1895 and ruled the island for five decades before relinquishing it in the aftermath of World War II.A top student, Uyongu was among the few in his people to receive a tertiary education. Proficient in Japanese, he became a leader in his tribe and was elected township chief after Japan handed Taiwan to the Nationalists in 1945.
Among its various measures were a policy that banned the use of any language other than Mandarin Chinese in schools and another requiring all Indigenous people to adopt a Chinese name — Uyongu's Chinese name was Kao Yi-sheng, while Vayayana's was Wang Ming-huey. Among those leading the charge was Icyang Parod, a politician and member of the Amis tribe who now serves as the minister of Taiwan's Council of Indigenous Peoples.
"We advocated that the rights of Indigenous peoples should be written into our constitution," Icyang said."After more than a decade of campaigning, we were able to push for constitutional amendments, and now there is a clearer protection for our language, education and land rights."Today, Avai feels"relief" that his father's legacy is gaining recognition.
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