The Women Who Guarded the Ancestral Fire: Sovereign Practices of Indigenous Women in Namaxia

The Women Who Guarded the Ancestral Fire: Sovereign Practices of Indigenous Women in Namaxia

This study tells the story of an Indigenous women's organization in Namaxia that defended Indigenous Sovereignty in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot. Challenging the government's resettlement policy, they took initiatives to serve their people, fought against state policies, and eventually returned home after the disaster. Prof Lin documents these powerful stories and contributes to the knowledge of disaster management, Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous Feminism.

Women's Nest: An Indigenous Women's Organization in Namaxia

Women's Nest is an Indigenous women's organization in Namasia District, Kaohsiung City. It was founded in 2003 by Apu'u Kaaviana, who is a member of the Kanakanavu nation. This Indigenous women's organization engage in cultural revitalization, caring for children collectively, and empower women to become culturally confident.

The Forced Relocation Policy After Disaster

When Typhoon Morakot devastated southern Taiwan in 2009, the government passed the Typhoon Morakot Reconstruction Ordinance to force tribal communities to move out of their homelands. For city dwellers, a free house after a disaster may seem like a big favor. However, the gift of a house far away from home also means giving up their lands and homes, culture and roots in the mountains. National policy offers only one choice, to stay or to go. The dilemma of choosing between uphill or downhill is tearing Indigenous peoples apart.

Meanwhile, residences of Namaxia were temporarily relocated to Renmei camp, 86 kilometers from their homeland. They did not know when they would be able to return to their home land, and the camp was very masculine, with no privacy, unsuitable for temporary relocation, providing poor post-disaster conditions.

Indigenous Women Made the Lead After Disaster

Those involved in the relief work (such as district officials, the military, social services, etc.) initially acted in isolation and did not listen to the needs and voices of the Indigenous Peoples. Once relocated to the camp, the Women's Nest immediately organized themselves to care of their children and elders collectively. Nevertheless, they were excluded from disaster management decisions. Eventually, the community members initiated democratic elections. Apu'u Kaaviana was elected as the representative and the Women's Nest began co-governing with multiple stack holders in the temporary camp..

The Women's Nest supported the families of the community in the chaotic situation after the disaster. Throughout the resettlement period, they have continued to connect with their ancestral spirits, singing traditional songs in the camp and inviting shamans and priests to perform a variety of traditional and modern rituals to heal their people. They were also working to create gender-friendly spaces and ensure the safety of girls in the dehumanized, masculine camp.

Protesting Against State Policies Successfully

The Woman's Nest and other Indigenous communities stood at the forefront of protests in front of the Executive Yuan and the Kaohsiung County Government, lighting up smoking fires strongly expressing their demand to return to their homeland. In the end, their protest was successful and the Kaohsiung County Government decided to give up the temporary relocation and allow Indigenous communities to return to their home land, with no water, no road, and no public services available.

Application and Highlights: Indigenous Knowledge lay the foundation for KMU Namaxia USR

Professor Lin has accompanied the women of Namaxia throughout the post-disaster for 14 years. In 2013, Indigenous women in Namaxia built a kiln and used local plants to make kiln-baked bread, creating ‘The Bakery in the Mountains', which has boosted the tourism industry and economy of the Namaxia region. Professor Lin has also begun to bring students from gender studies to learn in Namaxia since 2011.

Since 2017, Kaohsiung Medical University has begun preparing the Namasha USR (University Social Responsibility) project. In the team, Professor Lin has advocated vigorously Indigenous ecological knowledge as the highlight of the project. She also designed the course "Namaxia Studies" to invite Indigenous people become teachers for the KMU students. She emphasizes that the university should actively learn from the Indigenous Peoples, respecting and promoting the ecological and world views of the Indigenous Peoples. This core value has laid a good foundation for the KMU Namaxia USR project, which has been a great success in these years.

Graphical Abstrac

Women’s Nest and Professor Lin Protesting in front of the Executive Yuan, defending the sovereignty of the Indigenous peoples in 2009.

In 2019, Professor Lin curated an exhibition in collaboration with the Bakery in the Mountains. We Invited seven Indigenous scholars from the USA and Australia to participate in the Morakot 10th Anniversary Exhibition.

Research Team Members: Professor Chin-ju Lin

Representative Department:Graduate Institute of Gender Studies

Introduction of Research Team:

Professor Chin-ju Lin's research team has a long-standing interest in Indigenous gender issues and emphasizes the importance of building respectful, equal and mutually beneficial long-term relationships with Indigenous partners in the participatory process.

Contact Email: cjlin@kmu.edu.tw

Publication:

Lin, Chin-ju (2023) The Women Who Guarded the Ancestral Fires: Sovereignty Practices of Indigenous Women after Typhoon Morakot, Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 35(2): 391-433. Doi: 10.53106/1018189X2023063502005

Full-Text Article:

https://www.rchss.sinica.edu.tw/jssp/journals/3208