Publication Date：10/02/2012
•Source： Taiwan Today
Members of the indigenous Paiwan have selected 28 historic tribal artifacts held by the National Taiwan Museum for exhibit on their home territory in Shizi Township, Pingtung County.
Tribal elders from the Daguiwen community in the southern county visited the museum to choose the items for the show, which begins Oct. 5. Notable among the artifacts is a flag presented to aboriginal communities that did not resist Japanese forces during the Mudan Incident of 1874.
In that incident, the first overseas deployment of its imperial army and navy, Japan invaded Paiwan settlements, ostensibly in retaliation for the killing of 54 shipwrecked Okinawan sailors in 1871, an event now believed to be due entirely to mutual misunderstanding.
Historians contend that the expedition marked the beginning of the new Japanese empire’s expansion. It led to a Sino-Japanese agreement in which Japanese sovereignty over the Ryuku Islands, which had formerly paid tribute to China, was legitimized.
During the invasion, Japanese forces gave special protective flags to Paiwan communities that, under threat of being wiped out, did not resist. Daguiwen’s flag was donated to the museum in 1913, when Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945).
“Although the pennant represents our surrender, it’s better to face history than run away from it,” said township head Kong Chao. “Our ancestors were forced to take the flag or be killed.”
Also featured in the exhibition are a traditional box for keeping valuables and a male ceremonial vest. The box is a traditional version of a safe, sounding a bell whenever it is locked or unlocked. The embroidered vest was worn by nobility as a symbol of their status.
The artifacts will be on display in Fenglin Village until March 30, 2013.
