在一個原住民族居於弱勢的國家,如果國家對於原住民族的政治、經濟與文化是採取剝奪、歧視與同化滅絕的策略,則國家與原住民族就無法站在對等的位置進行對話並尋求合作。國家往往藉由教育制度的設計,複製統治者期待的國民,包含其所有的思考、價值與行為準則,以確保其統治的穩定。不幸的是,自1895年迄今,原住民族就是生存在這樣的現實環境中,導致自身的歷史、語言、文化、價值等均已大量喪失,殘缺不全;儘管如此,在進行自主管理或民族自治的過程之際,極力恢復歷史文化的自我掌控、建構與詮釋,以標明民族與國家之間的邊界,仍然是非常重要的工程。國家文學歷史的呈現以文獻累積、文字記載、消除或淡化(甚而扭曲)異族等手段讓原住民族無法進入國家文學整體歷史的敘述。文學不像軍事行動、經濟剝削的效果那樣明顯,但是在長時期的薰陶下,卻有最深刻的影響。因此這是另一種殖民的重要途徑。自1980年代開始出現的台灣原住民族作家文學,相對於整個民族歷史發展過程,僅僅是瞬間;但是其數量與質量均已達到可觀的地步;何況,這段時期出現的作品適巧與反同化、反滅絕、反掠奪以及還我土地、還我名字、民族自治為號召的民族運動結合,突顯其特殊的意義與價值。
In a country where the Indigenous Peoples are economically deprived, political dominated and culturally assimilated, the state is not to communicate and collaborate with the reciprocally. The state is apt to use the education system to foster citizens' thinking, values and standards of behavior. Since 1895, the Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan have unfortunately lived had their languages, cultures and traditional values gradually eroded. So far, the state has constantly presented history by excluding the Indigenous Peoples. While subtle, the effects of those colonial measures are no less destructive than military or economic ones. Therefore, this can be seen as alternative path of colonization. It is thus imperative to rebuild the boundary between the Indigenous Peoples and the state by reconstructing indigenous culture and reinterpreting indigenous history. The Indigenous literature, having its embryo in the 1980's, has witnessed marvelous development in terms of quantity and quality in such a short period. Moreover, by ingeniously focusing on anti-assimilation, anti-genocide, anti-pillage, self-determination, and self-government in various genres, its contents have successfully represented distinctive meanings and values.