西拉雅原住民族所提倡的原住民族身分認同與恢復原住民身分運動的訴求在近期的台灣平埔族群文化復振與認同運動中算是相當顯著的,尤其是數十年來草根性的各項文化語言復振與尋求官方認定的做法,到近年來得到地方政府的支持,而轉向共同對抗中央的作法與策略,是個很值得研究的社會運動模式。這種在1960年代以來以集體認同為根基,打著集體權利為號召所進行的社會運動,在世界各地被不少社會弱勢族群運用,轉而成為一種集體權利訴求的有效工具。本文探討台灣原住民族身分之規範性政策,並簡單分析平埔族群正名所遭遇到的官方說法之困境,最後以西拉雅族裔身分提出針對當前族群正名運動下官方認定的挑戰。
The PingPu indigenous status recognition movement is the result of a decade of activism by impassioned people seeking the right to self-determination, autonomy, and tribal legitimacy from the government of Taiwan. This paper highlights on historical analysis of Indigenous status policy in different colonizer's era, and how PingPu indigenous Peoples finally 'disappeared' by forced cultural assimilation under the Chinese Nationalist Party's policy. This paper argues that indigenous identity is not only based on ancestry, social experience, and cultural setting, the creation of identity, but also based by a political structure that was created by ruling power. As a Siraya scholar and activist, the author suggests that PingPu indigenous status recognition movement is vitally important as it publicly declares Taiwanese Indigenous population's humanity and collective rights.