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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Aborigines call for more days off
Mayaw Biho, second left, and other Aboriginal rights activists yesterday stage a protest outside the Ministry of the Interior in Taipei, demanding at least three days off for annual Aboriginal festivals. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
‘YEARLY SACRIFICE’: Independent Aboriginal legislative candidate Mayaw Biho said that one day off work was not enough time to partake in traditional annual ceremonies
By Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter
Time off work for yearly Aboriginal sacrifice ceremonies should be increased to match that provided for the Lunar New Year, Aboriginal rights activists said yesterday.
“We respect the Lunar New Year celebration, please respect our culture in return,” said Danubak, a Payuan musician.
“People seem to think that we return home [for the ceremony] to sing and drink, but that is not true — we return home to study our culture and assist in the preservation of the traditional ceremony,” he added.
Members of Aboriginal tribes are eligible to take one day off work annually to observe their tribe’s “yearly sacrifice” ceremonies.
The ceremony is the most important holiday in Aboriginal calendars, with specific dates varying between communities.
Activists said one day off was insufficient to fully participate in the festival.
“Members of different communities all have the same problem: Not only are our native villages located in isolated areas, but the yearly sacrifice ceremonies in their entirety are quite lengthy,” said Amis singer-songwriter Suming （舒米恩）, adding that his community’s ceremony takes more than three days to complete.
He said that a lack of additional days off forced young people to choose between their jobs and carrying on their cultural heritage.
“Aboriginal culture cannot be preserved without ceremonies,” independent Aboriginal legislative candidate Mayaw Biho said.
“Although older generations have preserved Aboriginal culture and ensured the continuation of annual ceremonies, young people do not have time to return to their communities, making it impossible for them to pass on the tradition of the yearly sacrifice ceremony,” he added.
He called on the Ministry of the Interior to revise regulations to allow members of Aboriginal communities to take three days off for the festivities to more closely match the four days mandated to observe Lunar New Year.
Ministry of the Interior Director of Civil Affairs Lin Ching-chi （林清淇） said that while yearly sacrifice ceremonies were Aboriginal communities’ equivalent of the Lunar New Year holiday, because members of these communities also get time off work for the Lunar New Year, there could be “counter effects” if extra holiday time is approved.
Providing one day off work was the recommendation of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Lin said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
