摘要 |
In the dawn of the 21st century, writing about Siraya has blossomed among Tai-gi literary works. A vernacular spoken by more than 70% of the population of Taiwan, Tai-gi has been discriminated as a low language. Not until the recent decades did Tai-gi undergo revitalization. Similarly, Siraya, a Tai-lam-based lowland indigenous group, has endured stigmatization, and since the 1990s an awareness-raising movement has been pressing on. Why and how do the two fields, one involving vernacular literature and the other addressing ethnic issues, intertwine and co-effectuate a new discourse? What are the significances of Siraya writing in Tai-gi literature and in Taiwan’s contemporary socio-political development? In the beginning, the article focuses on historical factors that attribute to the formation of Siraya consciousness. Next it discusses how the rise of a new identity politics relates to the “boom” of Siraya representation in Tai-gi literature. Then the article deals with three Tai-gi works about Siraya, all of which retell Taiwan’s history in perspective of Siraya’s experience and mount a challenge to the dominant Chinese-Han framework. The high-rate “exposure” of Siraya in Tai-gi literature manifests manifold significances. Re-writing Siraya marks a collective action, unfolding a new horizon of rearticulating Taiwan as a multi-ethnic nation with solid indigenous heritages. |