UCLA

The Siraya are an unrecognize Indigenous group in Taiwan who have been petitioning the Taiwanese national government for official recognition for the past two decades. I followed a Siraya family at the forefront of revitalization efforts to analyze nationalism, indigeneity, and the influence of international players as they intersect and shape Siraya identity and their efforts towards official recognition. I argue that Siraya navigate complex interactions between the contested landscape of Taiwanese nationalism and the implications of proclaimed authenticity markers of Indigeneity as they pursue Indigenous recognition rights in a settler state. As a result, the Siraya must simultaneously exist in a conundrum of supporting Taiwanese efforts in opposing China while acknowledging Taiwan as a settler state, resulting in a unique, multifaceted recognition campaign in which they articulate Siraya identity and the role it plays in society.