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Land Claim

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After the Japanese colonizers left, Indigenous Peoples once again faced the “demands” for natural resources from the Han Chinese. While people like Losin Watan proposed that the access to mountain areas should be regulated, some of the Han Chinese demanded the opening of natural resources. The appeal for retaining the Indigenous traditional territories thus remained as a sour conflict both for the authorities and the Han Chinese inhabitants of plain areas.


On June 8, 1947, 102 Indigenous community members, including Losin Watan (Lin Jui-chang) and his younger brother Lin Chong-yi, launched a joint request for the “Approval for the Return of the Territories of Ncaq, Located at Sanxia Township of Haishan District in Taipei County.”


In September, they joined hands with the Mayor, county councillors and township representatives of Jiaoban Township to make a request to the Hsinchu County Government. This time was for the approval of a piece of public land of one hundred kak (1 kak = 9,699 square meter) at Chúi Liû-tong (currently in Yangmei District of Taoyuan City) to be used by the Indigenous people migrated to plain areas. However, none of the requests was responded.


On November 14, 1950, the Police Department of Chiayi County reported to the Security Command that people including Uong'e Yatauyungana (Kao Yi-sheng), Yapasuyong'e Yulunana (Tang Shou-jen), and Tibusung'e Muknana (Wu I-te) were accused of contempt for the authorities and incitation of hatred toward the non-Indigenous inhabitants.


The official document listed multiple conflicts between the Cou Peoples in Wufeng Township and non-Indigenous inhabitants or the government. The conflicts were either true or just interpreted from the perspectives of the government and non-Indigenous inhabitants. In sum, such conflicts often attributed to the defence of Indigenous pride or of land and other rights.


On October 27, 1949, the Police Department of Taiwan Provincial Government reported to the Security Command in a document that Losin Watan was recorded on one day in September for criticizing that the government should not nationalize the mountain land, as he vowed to ”privatize” the land for his people. However, this can be actually regarded as the herald for the concept of “return of land” by Indigenous Peoples.

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