Written by Charlie Smith.
Image credit: Asian-Canadian Special Events Association.
Last September, when the band Kanatal walked onto the stage in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery, it marked a milestone. This was the culmination of the first Canadian tour by a group of Indigenous musicians from Taiwan. After performing in several Canadian cities, the four members—guitarist Masaw Ali, keyboard player Suana Emuy Cilangasay, singer Abus Tanapima, and drummer Vangacu Kalevuwan—were eager to impress a crowd that had gathered for the signature event of TAIWANfest Vancouver.
Taiwan and Canada share intriguing similarities when it comes to their Indigenous peoples, as both regions boast rich cultural diversity and a deep connection to their ancestral lands. The Taiwanese national government has officially recognized 16 tribes, up from a dozen a couple of years ago, while several others still seek recognition. According to the government, there were 571,816 officially recognized Indigenous people in Taiwan in 2019, accounting for 2.42 percent of the population. While in Canada, the Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal peoples: First Nations, Inuit and Métis, with more than 1.67 million people in Canada identifying themselves as an Aboriginal person, according to the 2016 Census.
The Indigenous communities in both Taiwan and Canada have faced historical challenges regarding their land rights, cultural preservation, and recognition within the larger society. Despite these struggles, they have managed to retain a strong sense of identity and resilience, with vibrant traditions, languages, and artistic expressions passed down through generations. The reverence for nature and sustainable practices also unites these Indigenous communities, as they share a profound respect for the environment and a deep understanding of its interconnectedness with their well-being.
When Taiwan-based band Kanatal burst into their only English-language song, “Peace”, at their performance in Vancouver, audience members could feel the musicians’ fervour for environmental justice. It was a reminder of how Indigenous people around the world have been at the forefront of struggles to protect the planet from the ravages of industrialization. Cilagasay told one journalist after arriving in Canada that “The world is very chaotic because of human greed. Human greed causes a lot of environmental issues and conflict around the world—international conflict—but also localized conflict, such as within your own families and interpersonal relationships.”
In fact, it was not Kanatal founder Suana Emuy Cilangasay’s first visit to Canada. Suana Emuy Cilangasay was invited to perform at a previous TAIWANfest event in Vancouver in 2019. That was where he first learned of the Canadian custom of offering an acknowledgement at public events that the activities were taking place on unceded Indigenous territory, which was rarely seen in Taiwan then. Upon returning to Taiwan, Suana Emuy Cilangasay introduced this concept at one of his shows.
The interaction between Kanatal and Canadian audiences was mutually inspiring. Dr. Scott Harrison, Senior Program Manager, Engaging Asia at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in Vancouver and a historian of the international Indigenous movement, was among those who were keenly interested in Kanatal’s visit to Canada. Harrison expresses, “I was quite excited to meet with them and hear some of their stories of what their experiences were in Canada. It sounds like from what I heard from them when we met, it was an eye-opening experience for all of them.”
Likewise, Suana Emuy Cilangasay and the other members of Kanatal were thrilled by their reception in Canada, and that people’s interest in their music and culture made them proud of what they had been doing, according to Harrison. In addition, the Kanatal members discovered that they were not judged harshly if they did not speak their Indigenous languages very well. “They realized that’s the same with a lot of Indigenous people in Canada—and that’s okay,” Harrison says. “Part of the path is revitalization of language and engaging with youth. And you can do this not just at Indigenous-only events, but you can go to folk festivals. You can partner with other Indigenous people across Canada, which they were doing.” Such collaborations may potentially help make strides towards acknowledging the dark chapters of colonial history, Indigenous rights and contributions of Indigenous peoples, fostering a renewed sense of pride and identity.
Coincidentally, Dr. Kanako Uzawa, a multilingual Ainu scholar and advocate, was in Vancouver when Kanatal was in Canada. Uzawa is also the founder of Ainu Today, an English-language website focusing on issues of concern to the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Hokkaido and other lands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk. Harrison witnessed the shared connection that Uzawa had with the four band members—something that Uzawa recently spoke about with Harrison. She talked with Harrison about one of the songs that Suana Emuy Cilangasay had sung. It was composed by an Indigenous man for his wife. That man was later executed by the Kuomintang government, which had put Taiwan under martial law. Uzawa shared with Harrison the importance of this song as a means to carry down Indigenous knowledge and spirits: “If he had not written that song, no one would have remembered him. You can use art and song and music to pass down legacies of your culture and they can outlast you.”
Meanwhile, Harrison, as a historian of the international Indigenous movement, particularly Asia, describes Taiwan’s approach to Indigenous issues as “incredibly progressive” in comparison to other Asian countries. He expresses his astonishment that all of this has happened in a relatively short period of time since the lifting of martial law in 1987. For example, the Taiwanese government has approved an Indigenous language development law, which guarantees the right to receive judicial documents and government notifications in one’s own language. There is also a Council of Indigenous Peoples, which was created in 1996 to work to protect the rights and well-being of the Aboriginal people of Taiwan. In addition, six seats are reserved in the 113-seat national assembly for Indigenous people, as well as guaranteed representation in local governments in six main cities.
The progress of Indigenous people in Taiwan can be attributed in part to the modern international Indigenous movement and cultural exchange. Harrison notes that one of the more influential international organizations is the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, which promotes land and cultural rights. He is also aware of more than a dozen trips by Taiwanese Indigenous people to Canada. These delegations have learned about efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages, promote more effective education, use the Canadian courts to assert First Nations rights, obtain a share of tax revenues, and recover traditional territory seized by federal and provincial governments.
“There’s a lot of shared learning going on,” Harrison says.
Notes from the author: Cilangasay is of mixed Sakizayan and Amis ancestry. Ali was born to an Atayal mother and Chinese father. Kalevuan is Paiwan and Tanapima is of mixed Bunun and Amis heritage. Upon their return to Taiwan, they paused the Kanatal project to pursue their own careers.
Tanapina (ABUS) was recently nominated for the prestigious Golden Melody Awards for Best New Artist of the Year and Best Vocalist (Indigenous language). She’s eager for people to recognize her heritage and promised to keep it at the centre of her music in the future.
Kalevuwan has returned to his roots, encouraging the return of other young Paiwan to their traditional communities. He’s also helping an Indigenous DJ who’s coming to this year’s TAIWANfest celebrations in Canada.
Charlie Smith is the editor of Pancouver. He has more than three decades of experience in the Vancouver media. Charlie spent 13 years in radio and television with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and 17 years as editor of the Georgia Straight. He has won a community builder award from the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society and TAIWANfest, anti-racism awards from Radical Desi and Spice Radio, and a “Friend of Taiwan” medallion from the Government of Taiwan, in addition to two Western Canada Magazine Awards for business writing. Charlie taught journalism at Kwantlen University College (now Kwantlen Polytechnic University) for seven years.
This special issue on Taiwanese Canadians and TAIWANfest’s dialogue with the Netherlands was created in partnership with Pancouver, an online arts and culture media by The Society of We Are Canadians Too, with a slight revision to enhance readability in the Taiwan Insight.
Taiwan Insight 