Members of the Taiwan delegation pose with Dr. Luis E. Cárcamo-Huechante, President of NAISA, following the opening session of NAISA 2026.

The Center for International Indigenous Affairs (CIIA) at National Dong Hwa University honored eight outstanding Taiwanese Indigenous scholars, students, youth leaders, and practitioners through the 2026 Fu-Mei WU Scholarship. From July 22 to 24, 2026, the awardees traveled to Wallmapu—the traditional territory of the Mapuche people in and around Temuco, Chile—to participate in the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA).

The scholarship recognizes the awardees’ sustained commitment and accomplishments in Indigenous research, education, cultural preservation, community practice, and public policy. Rather than representing a single institutional delegation, the eight recipients came from different universities, Indigenous communities, academic disciplines, and professional fields. Their participation brought together a broad range of Taiwanese Indigenous perspectives and practices, including tribal education, youth organizing, social work, cultural heritage, oral history, forestry and environmental governance, Indigenous health and social welfare, and language rights.

NAISA is a leading global interdisciplinary association for Indigenous studies. Convened in Latin America for the first time under the theme “Memory, Territory, and Movements,” the 2026 meeting brought researchers, knowledge keepers, community workers, artists, students, and advocates from around the world to Wallmapu. By situating the conference on Mapuche territory, the meeting emphasized that Indigenous knowledge is grounded not only in academic discussion but also in land, history, memory, community relationships, and everyday life.

Greeting the World in Indigenous Languages

At the opening ceremony, the Taiwanese participants were invited by Luis E. Cárcamo-Huechante, President of NAISA 2026, to offer greetings in Bunun, Seediq, and Paiwan, alongside Indigenous voices from different parts of the world.

The appearance of Taiwanese Indigenous languages at the opening ceremony was more than a symbolic performance. It demonstrated the continuing vitality of Indigenous languages as languages of knowledge, identity, public expression, and international dialogue. Speaking in their own languages, the Taiwanese participants brought Taiwan’s Indigenous experiences into a multilingual gathering shaped by the histories and aspirations of Indigenous peoples worldwide.

Cárcamo-Huechante is a Mapuche-Huilliche scholar and a faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin. His work addresses Mapuche culture, literature, media, public discourse, and the enduring effects of colonial power. His leadership of NAISA 2026 reflected the conference’s commitment to re-grounding global Indigenous dialogue in Wallmapu and in the relationships among land, history, memory, and community. The inclusion of Bunun, Seediq, and Paiwan at the opening ceremony underscored the growing visibility of Taiwanese Indigenous scholarship and the importance of Taiwan’s participation in global Indigenous networks.

The conference also brought together Indigenous participants and scholars from across Asia and other regions. Their exchanges highlighted the different historical contexts of Indigenous peoples while drawing attention to shared concerns, including land rights, language revitalization, community-based education, cultural sovereignty, environmental governance, and the relationship between Indigenous knowledge and state institutions. The participation of Taiwanese representatives contributed an important Asian perspective to broader conversations that have often been framed primarily through the experiences of the Americas and Oceania.

Eight Awardees Showcase Multidisciplinary Impact

The eight Fu-Mei WU Scholarship recipients brought their research, community experience, and professional practice to the conference.

Laulav Cavalje (Su-Shan Kao), a Ph.D. student in Social Work at National Taiwan University, presented research centered on the Paiwan ontology of Isan Caucau, or “becoming a complete person.” Her exchange with a local Mapuche elementary-school teacher couple explored connections among holistic care, relationships with the natural world, and decolonial education.

Jilu Quru (Yu-Lung Chou), who holds a master’s degree in Teacher Professional Development from National Taichung University of Education, discussed educational models grounded in tribal core values, community relationships, and collective practice. His work highlighted education as a site of cultural continuity and community development.

Lrelreng Kadangilran (Ting-Yu Yang), a master’s graduate in Tourism and Leisure Management from National Chiayi University and a tribal youth organizer, examined how Indigenous communities and youth movements can reconnect people, land, and history through self-determined approaches. Her participation brought together questions of local development, cultural action, and Indigenous-led community futures.

Idis Kazangiljan (Ying Pan), a Ph.D. candidate in Indigenous Health and Social Welfare at Providence University, shared cross-disciplinary approaches to Indigenous education. Her work connected education with health, social welfare, cultural understanding, and community relationships.

’Avi hlapa’ahlica (Ssu-Kai Chen), a professional researcher and conservator at the Taupas Cultural Artifacts Museum in Taoyuan District, Kaohsiung, engaged in discussions about the cultural preservation and language revitalization challenges faced by smaller Indigenous communities. His contribution emphasized the role of museums and cultural institutions as spaces for living memory, knowledge transmission, and community practice.

Pi’i salapuana (Chu-Yun Shih), a master’s student in Anthropology at National Taiwan University, drew on the oral histories and life stories of Hla’alua elders. From the perspective of a learner of Indigenous language and culture, she examined oral history as a method of cultural transmission and as a means of reconnecting younger generations with community memory.

Abus Istasipal (Yi-Chun Cheng), a master’s student in Forestry and Environmental Resources at National Taiwan University, used the international conference to broaden her understanding of Indigenous research and practice. Her participation contributed to discussions on Indigenous knowledge, forests, environmental governance, and responses to climate change.

Abus Istasipal (An-Chi Yu), a master’s graduate in Ethnic Development and Social Work at National Dong Hwa University, delivered her presentation in Bunun on “Colonial Language Power and Public Decision-Making: A Case Study of FPIC Communication in Tavila Village.” Her presentation examined language power, language rights, and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), highlighting the importance of Indigenous languages in public decision-making and community self-determination.

Together, the eight awardees demonstrated that Taiwanese Indigenous scholarship and practice are not confined to a single discipline. Their work connected education, social welfare, cultural heritage, oral history, youth organizing, environmental governance, language rights, and public policy, bringing a multidimensional account of Indigenous life and knowledge to the international conference.

NAISA Fosters Indigenous Exchange ans Dialogue in Wallmapu

Professor Bavaragh Dagalomai Jolan Hsieh, a Siraya scholar and Director of the Center for International Indigenous Affairs at National Dong Hwa University, played a central role in coordinating the Taiwanese participants and connecting their work with international Indigenous networks. Through her long-term engagement in Indigenous international affairs, cross-border academic collaboration, and youth development, she has worked to create opportunities for Taiwanese Indigenous scholars and practitioners to participate in global conversations on their own terms.

During the conference, Professor Hsieh was interviewed by a local Chilean radio station, where she discussed Taiwan’s experiences in Indigenous language revitalization, tribal education, transitional justice, and land rights. She also joined conversations with scholars and advocates about the possibility of establishing an Asian Indigenous Peoples caucus within NAISA, with the aim of strengthening connections among Indigenous communities across Asia.

“We encourage the younger generation of Indigenous peoples to come to Wallmapu with their languages, memories, and practices to dialogue with Indigenous communities around the world,” Professor Hsieh said. “When we listen to one another from our respective lands and histories, international exchange becomes a relationship among equals. It is not about presenting one experience as the answer, but about learning how different peoples can support one another while sustaining their own knowledge, languages, and ways of life.”

Learning with Mapuche Communities

In addition to attending the academic conference, the Taiwanese participants visited local communities and learned about educational practices grounded in Mapuche culture, community relationships, and local knowledge. Through cultural spaces and practices including ruka, mizawun, and nutxam, they encountered forms of knowledge that are transmitted not only through books or classrooms but also through shared meals, conversation, daily responsibilities, and relationships with land and community.

The participants also took part in workshops, working groups, graduate-student exchanges, and informal conversations with Indigenous scholars, students, and practitioners from different countries. These encounters created new possibilities for research collaboration, youth exchange, cultural learning, and community-based practice across the Pacific.

Recognition as a Continuing Commitment

The Fu-Mei WU Scholarship reflects a continuing commitment to recognizing and encouraging Indigenous talent in Taiwan. Its purpose is not simply to enable attendance at an international event, but to affirm the contributions of individuals who have already demonstrated sustained dedication to Indigenous research, education, cultural practice, community work, and public engagement.

The eight awardees brought their professional knowledge and community commitments to Wallmapu, while also learning from Mapuche communities and Indigenous participants from across Asia and the world. Their participation expanded the visibility of Taiwanese Indigenous perspectives within international Indigenous studies and strengthened academic, cultural, and community connections across the Pacific.

Through the Fu-Mei WU Scholarship, the Center for International Indigenous Affairs at National Dong Hwa University will continue to recognize Indigenous students, scholars, youth leaders, and practitioners whose work contributes to the vitality of their communities and to a more equal, diverse, and interconnected global Indigenous movement.

 

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