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As a promoter of the literature of Taiwan's Indigenous peoples, our most important task is to foster a relatively open and relaxed environment to encourage our people to continue and perpetuate their interest and vitality in "creative writing." The purpose of this essay, by focusing on the aspect of "creative writing" and based on actual practice, is to raise several controversial issues that can influence writing for consideration. First, we deal with the strategic question of the choice of "language" that Indigenous literary creation must face; second, we examine the problem of "literariness" and "realness" in Indigenous literary creation; finally, we clearly pinpoint the distance between tribal and national imagination, in order to prevent Indigenous literature from being kidnapped by the so-called "national identity" in contemporary Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although social work students in Taiwan generally tend to have positive attitudes towards the Taiwanese Indigenous peoples, a considerable proportion of these students have undecided or unfavourable attitudes. A total of 1,919 first- to fourth-year social work students from 24 social work-related departments across Taiwan completed a purpose-designed questionnaire incorporating Indigenous-related education, contact, consciousness, and demographic items. A regression analysis of the survey results reveals robust evidence that ethnic identity, having Indigenous friends, empathy towards Indigenous people and one's position on the political spectrum affect attitudes. However, multicultural education, including Indigenous-related courses and ethnicity-related courses in college, and collective guilt are not significant factors influencing the attitudes of social work students in Taiwan. These findings have implications for social work educators in countries that provide social work services to Indigenous people. IMPLICATIONS Teaching activities should be designed to increase social work students' opportunities to make friends with Indigenous people, emphasise core social work tenets in the classroom and develop students' empathy towards Indigenous people. Conducting future research to investigate the factors that influence social work students' attitudes towards Indigenous people in other countries may be fruitful given the unique interaction histories between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that Taiwan's distinctive historical position—at the centre of multiple overlapping colonial jurisdictions and historiographical traditions—furnishes an important opportunity to consider how indigenous pasts and experiences themselves played a role in disrupting or redirecting historical narratives of global connection. It examines texts by Ming travellers Chen Di (Dongfan ji , 1603) and Zhang Xie (Dong Xi yang kao , 1603); Dominican writers, including Jacinto Esquivel (1632); and later histories of early modern Japanese expansion and the dissemination of the Sinkan Manuscripts (Murakami, 1897, 1933). What all these foreign observers of Taiwan had in common was their struggle to integrate Taiwanese indigenous pasts into their existing grids of historical knowledge. By focusing on this 'historiography of the other', the article challenges commonplace assumptions regarding pre-modern foreign relations and indigenous forms of social organisation, showing how Taiwan can play a role in challenging operating foci of global history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Chen Di's 1603 text Record of Formosa (Dongfan ji), the earliest first-hand account in any language of the indigenous people of Formosa (now called Taiwan). Recent commentators have viewed Chen's text as a key elaboration of Chinese imperial discourse and its various tropes of hierarchical difference. In contrast, I argue that Chen reads the perceived cultural differences between his society and Taiwan's indigenous peoples as evidence of the contingency, rather than inevitable superiority, of a historical story that produces the outcome of 'civilization'. Building on a broader understanding of Chen's intellectual biography and his extant works, I show that Chen Di places the indigenes along a different timeline in which they forge their own contingent history parallel to, rather than behind, that of a civilizational centre. By doing so, Chen's historical narrative resists aligning their society with Han Chinese forms of development and offers a glimpse of how late Ming syncretic thought could produce an account of legitimate otherness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aims to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among the Northern Taiwanese indigenous population and to explore the relationship between MetS and liver enzyme, especially serum alanine transaminase (ALT). This is an observational and cross-sectional study that was conducted in remote villages of an indigenous community in Northern Taiwan between 2010 and 2015. MetS was defined based on the revised NCEP/ATPIII criteria from Taiwan Health Promotion Administration. A total of 454 participants were included in the analysis. There were 277 people with MetS and 177 people without. The prevalence of MetS was 61.01%. The average age was 49.50 years. People with MetS had a significantly higher liver enzyme (ALT) level than those without MetS. In addition, the study showed that participants with higher ALT had a tendency towards a higher prevalence of MetS (76.7% vs. 57.3%, p = 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of ALT levels >36 U/L for MetS was 2.79 (95% CI = 1.24–6.27, p = 0.01). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the ALT level was 0.63 (95% CI = 0.58–0.68, p < 0.001), which showed that the ALT level was positively associated with MetS. The overall prevalence of MetS was 61.01% in the highland indigenous population in Northern Taiwan; this study indicated that higher serum ALT levels were associated with an increased risk of MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Improving quality of life for community-dwelling older persons with dementia symptoms (PWDS) and family caregivers requires promoting dementia-friendly communities (DFC). However, little is known regarding older Taiwanese Aboriginal PWDS' experiences of living in the community. We explored these experiences for older Atayal PWDS and their families in Taiwan. Research Design and Methods This grounded theory research used in-depth interviews to explore the perspectives of older PWDS (n = 4), their family members (n = 3), and key persons (n = 10) in an Atayal community in northern Taiwan. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Participants were interviewed between January and May 2015. Results Participants' experiences were captured by the overarching concept of "low dementia awareness, high family-like ambience in the community." Despite the low/absent community awareness of dementia, older Atayal PWDS functioned as freely in the community as at home due to a family-like supportive environment. Aboriginal PWDS and their families also faced environmental challenges, e.g., environmental constraints and barriers to transportation access. Discussion and Implications Our results suggest that this Aboriginal community and culture offer important DFC components, and these strengths could be further studied to enhance DFC models elsewhere. Despite these strengths in supporting PWDS, environmental challenges to transportation access still cause difficulties for PWDS and their families and need improvement. The Atayal community's low dementia awareness suggests that services introduced must be culturally appropriate and nondisruptive to existing supportive helping systems. Our study can be a model for future studies to understand and identify PWDS' needs in Indigenous communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-centred diplomacy is primed by foreign policy objectives. Yet when traditional diplomacy suffers from weaknesses—as in the case of Taiwan—their institutions are advised to revise approaches and to consider engaging non-state actors in their strategies. This article critically explores how Indigenous peoples can be considered non-state diplomatic actors in Taiwan's public/cultural diplomacy. Considering various definitions of diplomacy and different understandings of the role of non-state actors, the article examines the legitimacy of Taiwanese Indigenous peoples to represent Taiwan internationally and their capacity to shape the perceptions of foreign publics about the country. Further, a contextualised analysis of Dispossessions: Performative Encounter(s) of Taiwanese Indigenous Contemporary Art —an exhibition and series of events that took place in May 2018 at Goldsmiths, University of London—is used to demonstrate how the engagement between Taiwanese Indigenous peoples and foreign publics can happen in practice by examining the event through a public/cultural diplomacy lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study argues that since the end of World War II, the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church’s practical institutionalised arrangements for evangelisation have had the unintended consequence of creating an imagined multi-layered aboriginal national Subject. The argument is founded upon analysis of three main points. First, aboriginal members’ daily practices within the three-level federalist church polity formed in their minds an acquired “schema”, a ready-made cognitive structure that could be easily appropriated by them to imagine their own nations in a certain way. Second, when the Church promoted the translation of the Bible and hymns into aboriginal vernaculars for practical evangelising reasons, it unintentionally created tribe-based cultural-linguistic mediums as national languages upon which the contents of aboriginal nations could be elaborated and reproduced. This step further consolidated tribe-based ethnic categorisation and facilitated the reification of aboriginal nations. Third, since aboriginal ministers and elders were institutionally endowed with many strengths in comparison to other aboriginal elites, they came to serve as human activators in formulating and spreading the imagination of the multi-layered aboriginal national Subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Taiwan has seen a surge of interest in the foodways of indigenous Austronesian people. Public and scholarly discourse tends to focus on either indigenous foodways' cultural significance or the healthiness of food items eaten by indigenous people. These two dominant perspectives, however, have obfuscated the issue of labor. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in an urban indigenous community in the Taipei region, this article addresses what I call risky labor behind the maintenance of indigenous foodways today, especially in urban contexts where many indigenous people have settled over the last forty years. It discusses two forms of risky labor: (1) the gendered labor of urban indigenous women who acquire food items by encroaching upon state and private properties and (2) the intellectual labor of urban indigenous people who share knowledge about indigenous foodways with nonindigenous Han Chinese urbanites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the association of social support, social factors, and maternal complications with caesarean deliveries in native and immigrant women, and to explore the association between acculturation and caesarean deliveries in immigrant women in Taiwan. This prospective panel study was conducted from August 2012 through April 2014 and included 222 native and 147 immigrant pregnant women in Taiwan. Caesarean rates did not differ significantly between native and immigrant women, including the overall caesarean rate (28.8%, 32.0%), medically indicated caesarean (22.5%, 24.5%), and caesarean without medical indications (6.3%, 7.5%). Results of multiple logistic regression models revealed that maternal complications and household activity support were positively associated with caesarean deliveries. Both native and immigrant women with high levels of informational support were less likely to receive caesareans. Immigrant women who were older than 35 years, had a middle level socioeconomic status, and perceived a high level of acceptance of caesarean in Taiwan were more likely to have caesarean deliveries. Informational support was a protective factor for caesarean delivery, whereas household activity support offered by the family was positively associated with caesarean delivery. Perceived acceptance level in mainstream society could affect immigrant women’s use of caesarean delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Taiwan is not only inhabited by ethnic Chinese, as many who are not so familiar with this island might think; it also has a substantial number of aboriginal peoples who have lived on the island for millennia, long before the Chinese, Europeans and finally the Japanese colonisers arrived. The aboriginal peoples of Taiwan are Austronesian, with linguistic and genetic ties to ethnic groups found in the Pacific nations of the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of Oceania, and also on Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. This article looks at some of the challenges faced by this indigenous population, due in large part to the ethnic or racial prejudice of the Taiwanese which was reinforced by the national government. It also examines recent curriculum reforms and the educational discourses that reject racism and affirm the ideals of ethnic and cultural freedom and equality, thereby exemplifying moral education in the truest sense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representation of barebodied Taiwanese aboriginal women was an essential theme in Japanese colonial photography. This article examines how Japanese anthropologists at the end of the nineteenth century-the main photographers of the aborigines-created photographic norms through their framing and placement of female bodies. It shows how these photographic themes were inspired by eighteenth-century Chinese chronicles of Taiwan and examines their influence on later generations of photographers, whose works were published in great numbers on postcards during the colonial period and circulated both within the Japanese empire and beyond. Together, these images constructed an image of a savage and timeless Taiwan on the margins of the Japanese empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theoretical importance of understanding how livelihoods shape local vulnerability to the effects of climate change has received broad attention, but with relatively few attempts to produce and implement an analytical framework based on the theory. This study develops a livelihood vulnerability analytical framework, and applies it to the case of rural indigenous communities of Taiwan that are regularly exposed to typhoons and associated geological hazards. Measures of the factors influencing how typhoons impact these indigenous communities (sensitivities), and of the abilities of such communities to respond in anticipatory or reactive modes (adaptive capacities) are also included. The study is based on mixed qualitative and quantitative analysis, combining data from in-person interviews and surveys from 2006 to 2009. Livelihood vulnerability narratives are developed accordingly, together with a spatially-explicit livelihood vulnerability index to diagnose the dimensionality and the distribution of vulnerability across the area. Three patterns of livelihood vulnerability are found including least vulnerable communities in the remotest area with relatively abundant livelihood capitals to mitigate vulnerability, intermediate vulnerability communities which are doubly exposed to market and typhoon-associated stresses, and the most vulnerable communities trapped in poverty and vulnerability loops. The patterns reveal strong spatial relationships of social development beginning with the Japanese colonial government (1895-1945) and continuing through the Kuomintang Chinese government (1945-present). This historical development shaped the original human-environmental conditions in each community and the inequality continues to expand due to increased hazard risk and inappropriate policy interventions. This study highlights the need for future research to develop a continuous program for longitudinally tracking the dynamism of the three patterns of vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented wherein the editor discusses various reports in the issue on topics including the effects of parental divorce on Saudi girls' interpersonal adjustment and the impact of Melanesian values in social work education and practice in Papua New Guinea.

Based on a theme that emerged from a study conducted with 25 Indigenous stakeholders between 2009 and 2010, this article argues for the inadequacy of Western models of the practitioner–client relationship, and a need to consider rural and cultural characteristics of Indigenous social work in relationship building and maintaining. The findings suggest that historical and affective contexts, life contextualized scenarios and the collective interest which affect professional boundaries and the dyadic relationship are important in terms of addressing the relationship in a tribal community. The article ends by highlighting implications for Indigenous social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines contemporary developments among Taiwan’s indigenous Austronesian peoples. We have reviewed major policy changes mainly since the 1980s and their impacts on later developments – both the positive improvements in general well-being and the persistence of ingrained problems among them. Major findings indicate two growing trends among Taiwanese Austronesians. One is the rise of interest in their cultures and efforts to preserve and restore selected indigenous customs and practices. The other trend is a continuous outflow of the indigenes from traditional tribal communities to urban centers for better employment, education, or health care. Their increasing urbanization also contributes to more inter-ethnic marriages and the loss of indigenous languages and practices. The case of Taiwanese Austronesians illustrates the impacts historical and politico-economic processes are having on indigenous peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Post-disaster discourses emphasize the importance of community in fostering reconstruction, yet the focus on recovering from a "natural" disaster can obscure the slower-paced disasters of displacement, dispossession and marginalization. The pre-disaster circumstances of Indigenous peoples influenced reconstruction after Typhoon Morakot, which devastated Taiwan in 2009, and have shaped the relations in which Indigenous groups are embedded as well as the terms used to represent them. "Community", already contested in its application within various settings, masks a multilingual complexity in Taiwan. This paper explores how the idea of community was mobilized in post-Morakot reconstruction between 2009 and 2015, drawing on ethnographic research within Indigenous Rukai domains and interviews with various institutions. Taking a historical approach to Rukai experiences in Wutai Township, it discusses how imaginings of community reinforce rather than address risk and vulnerability for Indigenous populations in hazardous landscapes, and how external agencies perceive as self-evident what they mean by "community development" and "needs". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the various indigenous rights movements across different times in Taiwan, the presence of indigenous women often goes obscure. Although in recent years there has been a great deal of publications on Taiwanese indigenous movements, some of the literature --constructed under the structure of the indigenous knowledge system--, while insisting on the status and value of indigenous autonomy, tend to overlook the historical context in Taiwanese society of indigenous women who participated in social movements. What are the issues of concern? This paper primarily serves to reveal the "silent crusades" and to bring forward the directions of interests of the indigenous women's movements by analyzing related reports, autobiographies, interview transcripts, texts, etc. spanning over two decades and published in the weekly newspaper of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), Taiwan Church News, in addition to indepth interviews with the leaders of indigenous women's social movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study covers two issues: (1) the language shift process relating to two highly endangered aboriginal languages of Taiwan and (2) the correlations between some variables and their language shift. Both Kanakanavu and Saaroa peoples underwent two waves of migration: (1) a massive in-migration of another Formosan ethnic group (Bunun people) in the 1930s and (2) a massive out-migration of the Kanakanavu and Saaroa villagers to cities in the 1960s. Due to the lack of social compartmentalisation brought by the migrations, three linguistic varieties – the heritage languages (Kanakanavu and Saaroa), Bunun and Mandarin – compete for realisation in the Kanakanavu and Saaroa speech communities. Our study shows that a basic diglossic environment with Mandarin as H-variety and Bunun and Kanakanavu/Saaroa as L-varieties cannot be maintained. Instead, Mandarin ‘leaks’ into the domain previously reserved for vernaculars, while Bunun overrides the heritage languages by carrying a higher prestige. In the multivariate statistical analyses, three changing factors (intermarriage, education level and migration experience) presenting social decompartmentalisation are proved to be correlated to the language shift from the heritage languages to Bunun and/or Mandarin. The increasing intermarriage rates with the more populous Bunun people have resulted in a sub-diglossic situation among the vernaculars where Bunun becomes more prestigious than Kanakanavu and Saaroa. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper introduces legal framework and governance structure in relation to the management and development of biobanks in Taiwan. At first, we briefly describe Taiwan's population, political system and health care system. Secondly, this research introduces biobanking framework of Taiwan including 25 biobanks established with the approval of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In those biobanks, 'Taiwan Biobank' is the first and the largest government-supported biobank which comprises population-based cohort study and disease- oriented study. Since the collection of information, data, and biological specimen of biobanks often involve highly sensitive personal information, in the legal framework of Taiwan, there is a specific regulation, 'Human Biobank Management Act' (HBMA), which plays an important role in regulating biobanks in Taiwan. HBMA, the Personal Information Act and other regulations constitute a comprehensive legal and regulatory privacy framework of biobanks. Through the introduction and analysis of the current legal framework applicable to biobanks, we found that there are several challenges that need to be solved appropriately that involve duplicate review systems, the obstacles in the international collaboration, and data sharing between biobanks in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the value of critical research for information and communications technology for development (ICT4D) studies. Most previous IS research on ICT4D projects is interpretive and has focused on the immediate organizational context, but there are very few critical studies that have engaged in macro sociopolitical analyses regarding institutional change. Hence we extend previous IS research on ICT4D by adopting a critical research perspective on the macro sociopolitical context within which most ICT4D projects take place. We illustrate this with an ethnographic study of a project that was intended to improve the education and social welfare of the aboriginal people in Taiwan. On the surface the project was tremendously successful; it became a showcase on national radio and TV showing how ICT could be used to support underprivileged children. However, our research uncovered a different story altogether—a story of the aboriginal people themselves feeling marginalized and without much of a voice. We use concepts from postcolonial theory to make sense of these two contradictory stories. We found that the interrelationship between the macro sociopolitical context and the local organizational context of the ICT4D project is the key to understanding what went wrong, something which we would not have discovered if we had taken the traditional approach. The postcolonial context is powerful and pervasive, hampering any real progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Gestational diabetes mellitus ( GDM) increases the risk of poor maternal and infant health outcomes; therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the ethnic disparities and identify the risk factors for GDM. Design We performed a cross-sectional analysis using patient records from a hospital located in the Puli area of Central Taiwan. Setting A teaching hospital located in a rural mountainous area of Central Taiwan. Participants Between 2002 and 2012, the hospital admitted 154 patients (107 non-aborigines, 30 aborigines, and 17 non-Taiwanese) who exhibited glucose intolerance during their pregnancy. Main outcome measures GDM was confirmed using the oral-glucose-tolerance-test administered in dose of either 100 g or 75 g. The incidence and risk factors for GDM in the aboriginal and non-aboriginal women was compared. Results We excluded the patients who had overt diabetes or were non-Taiwanese. Thus, 132 patients (28 aboriginal and 104 non-aboriginal women; mean age 30 years) were enrolled in the final study. A total of 51 patients (15 aboriginal, 36 non-aboriginal women) had GDM, which was more prevalent among the aboriginal mothers (53.6% versus 34.6%). The risk factors for GDM among the aboriginal women were persistent glycosuria and prior macrosomia. Conclusion The Taiwanese aboriginal women exhibited higher incidence of GDM; thus, we recommend that early screening and health education for pregnant aboriginal women be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an analysis of the Taiwanese epic film "Seediq Bale," directed by Te-Sheng Wei. It describes the Japanese attempt to restructure the landscape and mindscape of the Seediq people through measures such as the cultivation of land and the Japanization of customs and languages. It also discusses the political effect of "Seediq Bale" in the context of Taiwan being a Sinophone settler state with multiple colonial histories.

Introduction: Happiness and social inclusion are important indicators of social sustainability, as recommended in the Sustainable Development Goals; however, little is known about the social sustainable development of ethnic minorities. To fill this knowledge gap, special attention is paid to understanding the issues of social exclusion and happiness in relation to the indigenous peoples in Taiwan. Methods: Data used were drawn from a nationwide representativeness survey of the Taiwanese Indigenous People in 2007; it included 2,200 respondents. This study employed binary logistic regression to examine the effects of different domains of social exclusion on the likelihood of perceiving happiness; other exogenous factors, were controlled. Results: The results show that among the respondents, mountain indigenous peoples, females, the elderly and those who are healthier, wealthier, highly educated, possessing western beliefs, and are more likely to be happy, compared to their counterparts. As expected, the results reveal that the likelihood of being happy is higher for those who have received medical benefits, as well as those persons without housing problems or financial difficulties, compared to their excluded counterparts. However, no significant association is found between happiness and some social exclusion domains, such as child and youth benefits, and unemployment benefits. Conclusions: The disengagement of the indigenous peoples in mainstream society, with respect to the accessibility of welfare provisions, is a crucial element in regard to social exclusion and happiness. Several policy implications for the social sustainability of indigenous peoples can be inferred from these findings. For example, providing a mobile clinical tour, on-site health counseling, or homecare service can contribute to the removal of institutional and geographic barriers to medical welfare provisions for the mountain indigenes. Moreover, the government may devote more welfare resources to assist indigenous families and tribal communities to develop their own social safety net, instead of the individual-oriented welfare provisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This paper describes a 1-year follow-up of post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD) symptomatology and depression in an elderly minority population who experienced Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan. Methods The PTSD Symptom Scale - Interview and the 10-item short form Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale were used to examine PTSD symptomatology and depression in 120 victims at 3-6 months and in 88 victims (73.3% reinterview rate) at 11-12 months after the disaster. Further, we looked for associations between stress, prognosis, and development of PTSD symptomatology and depression. Results The prevalence of PTSD symptomatology decreased from 29.2% (35/120) at 3-6 months to 15.9% (14/88) at 11-12 months. The prevalence of depression, however, increased from 43.3% (52/120) to 46.6% (41/88). No factor was associated with follow-up PTSD symptomatology, and only the level of education was related to follow-up depression. Generally, the risk factors of age, sex, symptomatology of PTSD and depression at baseline, and stressor of unemployment predicted new-onset or chronic PTSD symptomatology and depression. Delayed-onset depression 48.0% (24/50) was more common than delayed-onset PTSD symptomatology 11.3% (7/62). Chronic and delayed-onset PTSD symptomatology were more easily developed with depression. Conclusion Although PTSD and depression were separate consequences of trauma, they emerged and affected mental health together. We documented the courses of PTSD and depression among elderly aboriginal people, and the possible effects of demographic, symptomatology, and adverse life stressors were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a growing global epidemic, especially among aboriginal Taiwanese. This study aimed to identify the relationship between erectile dysfunction (ED), markers of endothelial function, serum testosterone level and type 2 DM in aboriginal Taiwanese. Data were obtained from a baseline survey of 240 aboriginal adults. Their demographic data, presence of type 2 DM, markers of endothelial function, serum testosterone and ED status were assessed. The mean age of the samples was 51.62±7.76 years. The International Index of Erectile Function-5 total score had a mean of 21.99±2.34 and a median of 23; 134 participants had ED (55.8%). The results showed an increased risk of ED for participants with type 2 DM and lower serum testosterone level. Among the predictors of ED, type 2 DM, lower serum free testosterone and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were significantly independent factors. Interleukin-6 had a negative relationship with ED. The study results suggest there is a strong association between type 2 DM and erectile function among aboriginal Taiwanese that is similar to the general population. This study also supports the idea that type 2 DM, markers of endothelial function and serum testosterone may provide warning signs of ED and, at the same time, an opportunity for early intervention for aboriginal adult male. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares two related corporations’ accounts of enacting sovereignty with Taiwan Aborigines. First, Mitsubishi corporate webpage histories constitute mythic origin narratives about how their patriotic founder, Yataro Iwasaki, helped the Japanese government transport munitions and troops to Taiwan in 1874 and the government rewarded him with 30 ships, starting their close relationship. These narratives about this state-centred assemblage omit why Japan sent the military expedition, which ostensibly was a punitive expedition against Paiwan Aborigines for the 1871 massacre of 54 Ryukyu Islanders, but was actually part of the new Meiji state’s annexation of the Ryukyu Islands. Second, it analyses the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines which was founded in 1994 by the wealthy chair of the Shung Ye Group, a Taiwan-based Mitsubishi-affiliated conglomerate. The museum is a private assemblage organized around hero narratives in which the chair demonstrates his patriotism by rescuing Taiwan Aborigines and their cultures. The museum contributes to the Taiwan-centred identity project which challenges One-China sovereignty claims over Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The 'group relocation' policy imposed during the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan is arguably one of the most notorious policies to be imposed upon indigenes. As a result of this project, almost half of Taiwanese indigenes were resettled from the high mountain areas to the lowlands. Relocated populations needed to adjust themselves to new circumstances, and relocation became a traumatic memory for many. What is interesting is that relocating villages is not, historically, an uncommon occurrence for most Taiwanese indigenous groups. This suggests that 'relocating villages', in and of itself, might not be overly problematic for indigenous populations. Why then did the Japanese relocation policy come to be regarded as such a traumatic event? In this paper, I will present a sketch of how the Japanese relocation policy became regarded as such a traumatic event for many indigenous groups, and explore the reason the Thao people, living by Sun Moon Lake of central Taiwan, had a very different experience of relocation. Moreover, I also describe the relationship between the mapping project of Traditional Territories of Indigenous Peoples that began in 2002 and the collection of oral histories of indigenous relocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the prevalence of smoking in adults in low-and middle-income countries such as Taiwan. It highlights the influence of several factors to the smoking behavior in adults including family, community and individuals. It also notes that smoking prevalence may result to premature death and disease if not prevented.

Understanding cross-cultural patterns of musical diversity requires some method of visualizing these patterns using maps. The traditional methods of cross-cultural comparison have been criticized for ignoring the rich diversity of musical styles that exists within each culture. We present a compromise solution in which we map the relative frequencies of different "cantogroups" (stylistic song-types) both within and between cultures. Applying this method to 259 traditional group songs from twelve indigenous peoples of Taiwan, we identified five major cantogroups, the frequencies of which varied across the twelve groups. From this information, we were able to create musical maps of Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) depends on the population, geographic region, and urbanization. Currently, there are no data on the prevalence of MetS among Taiwanese aboriginal populations. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of MetS in a Taiwanese aboriginal population, as well as determine the relationship between serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) and MetS. This study was a population-based, cross-sectional study conducted in the remote area of the Fuxing Township, Taoyuan County in Taiwan. A total of 195 highland aboriginal individuals from the Atayal tribe were enrolled, of whom 84 (43.1 %) were male and 111 (56.9 %) were female. The prevalence rates of MetS and its risk factors at different serum GGT levels were determined. The prevalence of MetS, according to the revised NCEP/ATPIII criteria, was 48.7 % in the Atayal tribe (i.e. 42.9 % in males and 53.2 % in females). After adjusting for age, sex, alcohol consumption, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate transaminase, the odds ratios (OR) for MetS across the serum GGT tertiles (i.e. 1-27 U/L, 28-54 U/L, and ≥55 U/L in men; and 1-22 U/L, 23-44 U/L and ≥45 U/L in women) were 1, 1.7 (95 % CI: 1.2-2.7), and 3.1 (95 % CI: 1.4-7.2), respectively. Central obesity was the most common risk factor for MetS, and the higher GGT tertile was significantly associated with higher waist circumference and triglyceride levels. These findings suggest that the overall prevalence of MetS is higher in the highland aboriginal population than the metropolitan populations of Taiwan. Additionally, higher serum GGT levels are significantly associated with MetS and its risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article recounts information gleaned from a case study of three indigenous tribes in Taiwan regarding the origin and nature of their spatial knowledge. Sketched mental maps and GIS 3D virtual environment ( VE) are used by indigenous elders and hunters to delineate their traditional territories. Spatial components representing the predominant spatial elements are identified. Spatial structures used for locational positioning are analyzed, as are spatial reference systems for orientation and movement. The results show that spatial components are used for daily activities, as well as having historical and cultural meaning; a quadrant structure is used for spatial positioning; and instead of using the directional reference system of east, south, west, and north, these indigenous people rely on the orientation analogies of uphill, downhill, upstream, and downstream for direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike the experience of indigenous people in some societies, notably North America and Australia, where there is a significant modern sporting culture to which indigenous people contribute relatively little, in Taiwan the situation is reversed. Here the sporting culture is relatively underdeveloped in large part, we argue, because of the continuing influence of Confucian ideas, but aborigines play a disproportionately significant role not least in what is the most visible aspect of that sporting culture – baseball. Drawing upon existing published work together with interviews and personal communications, this article examines the extent to which sport in Taiwan, and specifically baseball, reflects the ongoing influence of Confucian attitudes towards physical cultures in Taiwanese society not least in relation to the stereotyping of the island’s indigenous population. Given the status of baseball as Taiwan’s national sport and in light of the contribution made to national teams by aboriginal players, these findings are hugely significant. They suggest that, as in the case of women, traditional Confucian values not only have an impact in relation to physical activity but, by extension, affect the ways in which a specific social group is perceived more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective To determine whether diabetes control is less optimal in Taiwanese aborigines and identify the risk factors associated with poor glycaemic control. Design Cross-sectional analysis of data from Taiwan Diabetes Shared Care Program Setting A rural hospital in central Taiwan. Methods Patients enrolled in Diabetes Shared Care Program in 2010 were surveyed. The average HbA1c in 2010 was compared between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups. Age, gender, body mass index and disease duration were selected to represent biological factors. Combined with the existence of geographic barrier to medical service and rate of medical appointment no-shows, multivariate linear regression model was applied to determine the predictive power of each factor to glycaemic status. Results Only 26% of patients achieved average HbA1c of less than 7%. The average HbA1c of the aboriginal group is significantly higher than that of the non-aboriginal group (8.73% versus 7.93%, P < 0.001). However, in multivariate linear regression model, racial background was no longer a risk factor for poor glycaemic control. Medical appointment no-shows was found as the most significant risk factor for poor glycaemic control ( b = 1.48, P < 0.001). Conclusion Taiwanese aboriginal diabetes patients as a group have poorer glycaemic control than the non-aboriginal group. Medical appointment no-shows may significantly contribute to the development of hyperglycaemia among Taiwanese aborigines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of expanding higher education are to foster advanced personnel and realize the concept of achieving equal access to education. The problems created by the expansion of higher education in many countries, including Taiwan, in fact indicate a divergence from originally anticipated objectives. Such problems include the uneven allocation of resources, tuition differences between public and private schools, and vicious competition in the face of declining student enrollments, all of which contribute to concerns about educational quality issues. Of additional interest is whether Taiwan's focus on university enrollments of disadvantaged ethnic groups has created a trend toward greater educational opportunities for its aboriginal people. Nevertheless, the distribution of resources is increasingly concentrated on elites from high socioeconomic backgrounds and in a few public universities. All of these factors have facilitated an increasing class reproduction in higher education. The original elites continue to enjoy a wealth of resources. Yet while more and more students gain access to higher education, their institutional teaching quality and learning environment still fall behind that of the elites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Few studies have investigated whether genetic abnormalities predispose individuals to heavy betel quid (BQ) use. One of the major ingredients of BQ, arecoline, is known to affect the expression of monoamine oxidase A ( MAO-A). We investigated the extent to which arecoline inhibits MAO-A expression and the role of MAO-A polymorphisms in BQ use in Taiwanese aborigines. Cytotoxicity assays, microarrays and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction were used to examine the effects of arecoline and areca nut extract (ANE) on cell viability and MAO-A expression in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. After identifying the effective concentrations of arecoline and ANE in vitro, we examined the in vivo effects of these compounds using a rat model system. Our results indicate that arecoline and ANE inhibit MAO-A expression both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we examined the correlation between plasma MAO-A activity and cumulative exposure to BQ in humans. We recruited 1307 aborigines from a large-scale community-based survey to determine whether MAO-A variants were associated with high BQ use and a preference for use with smoking or alcohol and whether gender bias existed. MAO-A expression was significantly downregulated by arecoline and ANE at 100-200 µg/ml and in rat whole brains on days 30 and 45. MAO-A activity levels in human plasma were positively correlated with the extent of BQ exposure, and individuals with at-risk alleles exhibited lower activity, although this result did not reach statistical significance. We found two single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in aboriginal males [rs2283725, odds ratio (OR) = 2.04; rs5953210, OR = 2.03] and females (rs2283725, OR = 1.54; rs5953210, OR = 1.59) that were associated with heavy BQ use. Those individuals carrying at-risk alleles who drank alcohol were twice as likely to be heavy BQ users. However, the effects of these SNPs on BQ use were significant even after controlling for alcohol use. Our results suggest that two specific loci may confer a susceptibility to BQ abuse and affect MAO-A enzymatic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: A disparity in smoking behavior exists between the general and minority populations residing in Taiwan's mountainous areas. This study analyzed individual and environmental factors associated with children's smoking behavior in these areas of Taiwan. METHODS: In this school-based study, data on smoking behavior and related factors for mountain-dwelling students were obtained from the 2008 and 2009 Control of School-aged Children Smoking Study surveys. A representative sample (N = 1239) from 26 primary schools was included. The association among 3 groups (never-, former-, and current-smokers) and the potential variables were simultaneously examined using unordered polytomous logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Between 13% and 34% of ever-smokers reported that their first smoking experience was in third grade. More than 70% were found to have bought cigarettes and 87% reported that the tobacco retailers had sold them cigarettes. The significant factors for current-smokers were predisposing factors, ie, attitude toward smoking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.21); reinforcing factors, ie, family smoked in front of me (AOR = 2.44), friends smoked in front of me (AOR = 16.24), and school staff smoked in front of me (AOR = 2.98); and enabling factors, ie, cigarette availability and accessibility (AOR = 2.16 and 2.42, respectively). A student's perceived punishment for smoking at school had a positive significant effect on the risk of being former-smokers (AOR = 1.57). CONCLUSION: The findings provide a basis for school and community to design and implement effective anti-smoking programs for remote mountain-based students to further reduce youth smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol intoxication is a serious health issue among Taiwan's indigenous Malayo-Polynesian groups. No published studies address the drinking perceptions and behaviors of Bunun women. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the drinking perceptions and behaviors of Bunun women in Taiwan. Methods: This study used an ethnographic approach to study the residents of one township located in eastern Taiwan. Researchers used semistructured, in-depth interviews to collect data from 10 Bunun women in 2006. Results: Researchers identified six key culture themes from the data. These were (a) drinking to help make friends, (b) drinking to help solve emotional problems, (c) interpreting the meaning of drinking, (d) hurting the body due to alcohol abuse, (e) decreasing the bond of convention for drinking, and (f) establishing mechanisms to control drinking. Conclusions/Implication for Practice: The results of this study may help one to understand the alcohol use behavior and attitudes of indigenous women in Taiwan and contribute to better cross-cultural nursing clinical practice. This study is expected to enhance the quality of nursing care provided to Taiwan's indigenous people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the adaptation of probation period of employment on the aboriginal nursing student graduates in health care institutions in Taiwan. It mentions the confidence and influences felt by these student graduates in their job which incited them to engage with leisure and social activities to cope with their stresses following the probation period. It also notes their willingness to seek for solutions when facing difficulties during their employment.

In this paper, the culture and origins of the Shau Aborigines of Sun Moon Lake in Central Taiwan are examined. Conclusions presented in this article depend on clues from documents and long-term observation, that reveal that the characteristics of the Shau Aborigines are quite different from those of other aboriginal inhabitants of Taiwan. They lived on islands for a long time, were good at trading, and had a high material living standard, versatile language, and facial features similar to Western people. It is assumed from many reasonable interpretations of questions concerning their cultural characteristics that they may be descended from Dutch preachers and their families in Shaulon, Tainan, who married local Pingpu Aborigines. The Shau fled from Soulang when Zheng Chen-Kung (also known as Coxinja) attacked in 1661, moving to Mattauw, then to Dorcko, Tilaossen, and finally to Lehyee, the territory of Chou Aborigines, where they settled at Laichi for a time. When they discovered Sun Moon Lake, they moved to its island where they are today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several of the arguments made in this article rarely appear in the existing literature of indigenousness. First, that the nature of indigenousness may not be stable. This article examines the formation and reformation process of Taiwanese indigenousness with a focus on the latter. Second, the driving force of indigenousness might be economic. This article argues that the driving force of the formation process of Taiwanese indigenousness is more political than cultural, whereas that of the reformation process is more economic than political. Third, the key element of indigenousness is "attachment to the land," not "aboriginal people." In the formation process of Taiwanese indigenousness, physically residing in Taiwan was deemed important to show attachment to Taiwan. However, transmigration process influences the reformation process of the Taiwanese indigenousness so that one can show attachment through actions overseas. Fourth, in a transnational social field, new strategies to keep or reform indigenousness might be developed. This article introduces two strategies the Taiwanese government has used to ensure that Taiwanese people in China keep their attachments to Taiwan. In this article, these two strategies are named graduated sovereignty and governance of spatial movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sakishima islands are members of the Ryukyu island chain, stretching from the southwestern tip of the Japanese archipelago to Taiwan in the East China Sea. Archaeological data indicate cultural similarities between inhabitants of prehistoric Sakishima and Neolithic Taiwan. Recent studies based on tooth crown traits show remarkably high inter-island diversity among Ryukyu islanders, suggesting that the Sakishima islanders might have genetic backgrounds distinct from main-island Okinawa people. To investigate the genetic diversity of the Ryukyu islanders, we analyzed mtDNA, Y chromosome, and autosomal short tandem repeat loci in a sample of main-island Okinawa people and Sakishima (Miyako and Ishigaki) islanders whose participated in a previous study of tooth crown morphology. Our phylogenetic analysis of maternal (mtDNA) and paternal (Y chromosome) lineages shows that the Sakishima islanders are more closely related to people from the Japanese archipelago than to Taiwan aborigines. Miyako islanders and the Hokkaido Ainu have the first and second highest frequencies (respectively) of the Y-chromosomal Alu-insertion polymorphism, which is a presumable Jomon marker. Genetic diversity statistics show no evidence of demographic reduction or of extreme isolation in each island's population. Thus, we conclude that 1) Neolithic expansion from Taiwan did not contribute to the gene pool of modern Sakishima islanders, 2) male-lineage of the Ryukyu islanders likely shares a common ancestor with the Hokkaido Ainu who are presumably direct descendants of the Jomon people, and 3) frequent reciprocal gene flow among islands has masked the trace of common ancestry in the Ryukyu island chain. Am J Phys Anthropol 142:211-223, 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on issues involving the Protection Act for the Traditional Intellectual Creations of Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan. It notes that folk traditions lie far back in the mists of time, thus making it difficult to discern copyright protection for traditional cultural expressions. It says that globalization has led to the increasing scope of intellectual property rights protection. It tells that several scholars are opposing further expansion of the scope covered by intellectual property rights. They have also emphasized the importance of public domain and argued that granting of excessive protection will elevates the cost of creating new knowledge. It also mentions the 2008 Taiwanese film "Cape No. 7" which explores conflicts between various cultures, including Japanese.

One of the major challenges that faces nation-builders in postcolonial societies is the incorporation of subaltern groups, particularly aboriginal peoples, into a collective national project. One vehicle for addressing this challenge is sport with schools being amongst the most important venues. This article offers an empirical study of the role of aboriginal players in Taiwanese baseball. By examining the schooling and historic achievements of aboriginal players in the Nenggao and Hongye teams and the role of aboriginal players during the more recent post-martial law period, the study challenges some commonly held views concerning the relationship between baseball and Taiwanese national identity. In particular, the article analyzes the role of the state in its use of baseball to support the co-option of aboriginal players for the nation-building project. The study concludes that the state, regardless of which ruling elite is in power, has consistently manipulated Taiwan's indigenous peoples, not least through the education system, in order to achieve certain political objectives, specifically in relation to nation-building. Furthermore, although baseball remains an important avenue for the social and economic advancement of individual aborigines, recurrent scandals linked to exploitation have been consistent characteristics of state policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses academic colonialism. This is a condition faced by scholars in post-colonial states, who find themselves dependent on international academic language structures which are based in the culture of their former colonial overlords. This is said to constitute a continuing subjugation of indigenous culture, specifically in the epistemological realm. The academic milieu of indigenous scholars in Taiwan is analyzed in this context. The College of Indigenous Studies at National Dong Hwa University is cited as an example of overcoming academic colonialism.

Social theorists have long recognized that changes in social order have cultural consequences but have not been able to provide an individual-level mechanism of such effects. Explanations of human behavior have only just begun to explore the different evolutionary dynamics of social and cultural inheritance. Here we provide ethnographic evidence of how cultural evolution, at the level of individuals, can be influenced by social evolution. Sociocultural epistasis-association of cultural ideas with the hierarchical structure of social roles-influences cultural change in unexpected ways. We document the existence of cultural exaptation, where a custom's origin was not due to acceptance of the later associated ideas. A cultural exaptation can develop in the absence of a cultural idea favoring it, or even in the presence of a cultural idea against it. Such associations indicate a potentially larger role for social evolutionary dynamics in explaining individual human behavior than previously anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous scholars studying community efforts to (re-)establish autonomy have begun to focus on the importance of empowerment in the economic, political and cultural spheres. There is a growing understanding that such empowerment can be hastened by affirmative development strategies that build on community assets and capacities rather than attempting to redress – and thereby emphasising – needs or lack. Such development work reflects intertwined currents in contemporary philosophy, influenced by the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche and of Gilles Deleuze. In Taiwan, a recent resurgence in identities among marginalised aboriginal or indigenous peoples (‘Formosans’) has been accompanied by novel approaches to development. This discussion heuristically employs a set of development theories that are essentially variants of ‘asset-based community development’ (ABCD) to suggest that a focus on affirmation and empowerment has been and can be a key to success in Formosan development initiatives. The paper presents the results of qualitative field research, illuminating three case studies of Formosan development – in Tsou, Tayal and Taroko territories. It argues that Formosan development will benefit from a focus on community capacity, political empowerment and social as well as physical assets, and that to an important degree this has already happened in some communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]