Shoreline CC to present program April 17 on indigenous peoples of Taiwan

The Global Affairs Center at Shoreline Community College, directed by Edmonds resident Larry Fuell, will present a program, “Christianity as the Ethnic Identity of Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan,” from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 at Shoreline CC’s Building 9000, Room 9208.

The speaker will be Professor Mayumi Steinmetz from SCC’s Japanese Language & Asian Studies.

Taiwan has been home to Austronasian-speaking indigenous peoples for thousands of years. In the 19th century, these 16 tribes lost their sovereignty and now live under the shadow of the dominant culture. Professor Steinmetz visited Taiwan for 4 months last year to learn more about the story of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, including interviewing several leaders of the indigenous people.

She found the indigenous tribes to be resilient and unified, with a strong ethnic identity. They are united by their history of struggle and hardship, but also by the adoption of Christianity. This conversion has helped them cope with the acculturation process under both Japanese and Chinese authority. The majority of these tribes confess Christianity as their religion, in contrast with 4 percent of the general Taiwanese population.

Admission is free, but attendees are asked to register by clicking here.There is a small fee for parking on campus during the day.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Real first and last names — as well as city of residence — are required for all commenters.
This is so we can verify your identity before approving your comment.

By commenting here you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct. Please read our code at the bottom of this page before commenting.