The Center for Aboriginal Studies, National Chengchi University (NCCU), is an academic team dedicated to Taiwanese aboriginal studies. It is mainly composed of a group of professors of NCCU and partly of scholars and experts from other academic institutions. Founded in 1999 and called initially as the “Center for Aboriginal Languages, Cultures and eDucation” (ALCD), the center has been promoted to the top-tier research center of NCCU since 2007 and is now headed by Dr. HUANG Chi-ping.
Ethnic Certification
As to the ethnic recognition, there have been 9 aboriginal ethnic groups officially recognized in Taiwan since 1945. And yet, 7 more aboriginal ethnos, including Thau, Kebalan, Truku, Sakizaya, Seediq, Hla'alua and Kanakanavu, have been certified one by one by the Council of Indigenous Peoples and Executive Yuan since 2001, based on the academic reports written by ACLD between the year of 1999 to 2013.
Languages, Education & Cultures
ACLD held a workshop for aboriginal cultures in 2000, organized the first Accredited Exam of Aboriginal Language Proficiency in 2001, and has taken on the work of editing the textbooks of Taiwanese aboriginal languages since 2002.
In light of the language sensitivity of aboriginal speakers and the needs of examinees, ACLD devised 38 versions of aboriginal language to undertake the written tests and oral tests for the first Accreditation Exam of Aboriginal Language Proficiency, to embody the diversity of Taiwanese aboriginal languages. On this basis, ACLD, as commissioned by the Ministry of Education, has conducted “Grade 1-9 Curriculum of Aboriginal Language Textbooks Editing Project” and “Four Newly-added Aboriginal Language Textbooks Editing Project” since 2002, by compiling the 9-leveled textbooks for 42 varieties of aboriginal languages, which amount to 756 volumes. Such scale of language textbooks editing is rarely seen around the world. To ensure the quality of these textbooks, ACLD has also been in charge of the ensuing editing. And due to the delivery problems that had reoccurred for years, ALCD has been entrusted by Ministry of Education with a project for “Printing and Delivering the Grade 1-9 Curriculum of Aboriginal Language Textbooks” for better management since 2016. As these textbooks approach the aboriginal students for all grades, being the basis for the Accreditation Exam of Aboriginal Language Proficiency, rate of the current usage is up to 86 percent. The set of textbooks is for aboriginal students at all school levels to use and has become the basis of the Accreditation Exam of Aboriginal Language Proficiency. ALCD is now in charge of the project of editing the 4 Sets of Language Materials for Aboriginal Languages (2009-2013). The project is actually an extension of the one mentioned earlier. The Alphabet Chapter and the Chapter of Daily Dialogs of the project have been done and the other work moves on.
Publications
Aboriginal Education World, a bimonthly edited by ALCD, is not only a publication of real-time reports and latest educational concepts, but has been the sole magazine about Taiwan’s aboriginal education up to the present. It was first published in 2005 and there have been 78 issues published by 2017. Aiming for comprehensive discussion, Aboriginal Education World covers language education, cultural education, campus reports, cultivation of talent, and related seminars, etc. With the most recent ideas and information, Aboriginal Education World, where more than 1000 writers contribute their articles, has become the core references to academic research and even an embodiment of Taiwan’s aboriginal movement, namely, the ethnic education movement.
Academic Symposiums
The international symposiums held by ALCD in the past few years include the International Symposium on SaiSiyatology (2004), International Symposium on Aboriginal Education (2005), International Symposium on Traditional Community and Ethnic Autonomy (2006), and Symposium on Ethnological Cognizing of Literature and the Construction of Literary History (2007), and International Austronesian Conference (2016). Therefore, the annual Taiwan-Japan Forum on Aboriginal Studies, being held continuously for at least 10 years, manifests itself as the longest one that ALCD takes charge. In addition, the theme of the second Forum (held in 2009) was on MABUCHI Toichi and the fifth one on CHIJIIWA Suketarou, both giving tribute to the Japanese predecessors in the field of Taiwanese aboriginal studies. Furthermore, in memory of the centennial anniversary of the Truku people’s resistance against Japanese aggression, the eighth Forum, focused on the war history of Truku people’s resistance against Japanese aggression.
International Exchanges
The agreement for international academic exchanges that ALCD signed with the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies, Hokkaido University, in 2007 is historically significant, since it was the first one of NCCU’s top-tier research center signed up with that of its international counterpart. Besides some international trips initiated for the purpose of individual studies, that ALCD as a whole goes abroad for academic exchanges include the participation in the International Symposium on Studies on Taiwanese Aborigines held by the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (2005), a visit to Fiji with the invitation of the Pacific Institute of Advanced Studies in Development and Governance (PIAS-DG), University of the South Pacific (2006), and a visit to Indonesia to investigate disaster preparedness (2011).