National policy and local participation in making aboriginal digital archive: The lesson from Taiwan

Chen-Ling HungAssociate Professor

The Graduate Institute of Journalism, National Taiwan University

ICT and indigenous peoples Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) should be used to support and encourage cultural diversity and to preserve and promote the language, distinct identities and traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples, nations and tribes in a manner which they determine best advances these goals.

--The Declaration of the Global Forum of Indigenous Peoples and the Information Society, Article 2

ICT access of different ethnic groups in Taiwan

Computer use Internet use

2004 2005 2006 2007 2004 2005 2006 2007

Indigenous

people 43.8 44.5 62.7 67.2 37.8 39.9 55.4 60.9

Hakkanese 67.4 67.6 72.2 72.1 60.5 63.1 66.9 66.5

Taiwanese 68.2 66.8 70.1 71.0 61.1 62.7 64.4 65.6

Taiwanese policies (1) The National Digital Archive Program (NDAP) Phase I (2002-2006): digitized selected

representative cultural assets for cultural and academic research

Phase II (2007-2012): to foster indigenous value and demonstrate Taiwan’s cultural diversity

--Cultural, Academic, Socio-Economic, and Educational Promotions and Applications Project (CASE Project): to integrate archival contents and technologies into educational, academic, industrial, and social development; to inspire local autonomous archive by building partnership with more local organizations and communities.

Taiwanese policies (2) Digital Opportunity Centers: Creatin

g Digital Opportunities in Rural Areas (2004-)

Standard deployment: a space with computers and online equipment, on-site staff and computer courses

Cooperation between the central government and local communities

Digital Opportunity Center

Alan-Gluban the residence of Se-edig people of Atayal tribe in c

entral Taiwan Wushe Event: The biggest uprising against Japane

se colonial rule locates in the mountainous area, isolated from out

side world 110 households (five hundred residents) main industries: farm and weaving industry the young generation leaves home for better job o

pportunities, leaving elders, women and children at home.

Alan Gluban meets ICTs 1999 Alan Gluban Website: to tell the story o

f Alan Gluban’s survival after Chichi earthquake

2004 Digital Opportunity Center: to enhance digital capabilities of rural people

2007 National Digital Archives Program: to transform Alan-Gluban’s cultural heritage into digital archive.

The process of digital archiving

to form a work team to survey on local people’s needs to produce the contents of the

tribe archive based upon the survey results.

The work team

National Digital Archives Program: sponsor National Taiwan University: project coordinat

or The Association of Taiwan Indigenous Peoples

College: local assistant Wingcloud Studio: website design studio The Association of Community Development i

n Alan-Gluban: gatherer and recorder of local events and cultural heritage

Survey results: ICT access of Alan-Gluban residents

Computer at

home

Internet at

home

Computer use Internet use

Yes 45／54.9%

33／40.2%

45／54.9%

39／47.6%

No 37／45.1%

49／59.8%

37／45.1%

43／52.4%

Total 82／

100%

82／

100%

82／

100%

82／100%

Major problems which discourage Internet access

上網主要困擾The main problem of internet access

3 4

161719

7 7

Label類別

Fre

quen

cy人數

網站內容貧乏Insufficient Content

Lack of上網機器不夠Computers

使用技巧不純熟Inexperienced Skills

Can't費用負擔沈重Afford The Expenses

Privacy擔心隱私問題Issues

Afraid of怕中毒Computer Virus

Bad通訊品質不良Quality of Connection

Potential benefits of digital archive

數位典藏的幫助Help with Digital Archives

18

34

42

26 28

0

10

20

30

40

50

Label類別

Fre

quen

cy人數

增進族人感情Promote communityrelationship

使他人瞭解部落Understanding of theTribal Culture 保存部落文化Preserve TribalCultures促進文化產業發展Development ofCultural Industry增進族人數位能力Improve TechnologyCapabilities

Tribal Information needed to be documented

希望保存的部落資訊Preservation of Tribal Information

3631

50

39

2319

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Label類別

Fre

quen

cy人數

手工藝Handicraft

歷史故事History

傳統文化TtraditionalCulture 日常活動Activity ofDaily Living環境生態Environmentand Ecology 部落人物Tribal Figure

Alan Gluban Digital Archive Website http://dc.atipc.org/chiliu.htm the old photos about the Wushe Event were sc

anned and digitalized. Community activities such as tribe meetings and DOC training courses were recorded. Besides, special video programs were made for promoting tribe history and weaving culture.

2008: 11 video programs and 121 photos posted on this website.

the documentation of tribe culture demands participation of residents and the cooperation between the community and outside groups.

Alan Gluban / Tribal Culture Online

Text

Art / Landscape / Culture and History / Wushe Event

Introduction / Art / Landscape / Culture and History / Event

Photos and Video

Cooperation between the public and private sectors Mutual trust and understanding Efficient communication and negotiatio

n Proper resources to carry out the projec

t Cultivate and accumulate the autonom

y of local people preserve culture heritage of the aborigi

nal tribe

Challenges in making tribe archive

training local ICT expert enduring participation from

aboriginal communities secrets and taboo in indigenous

culture which hinders the progress of digital archive

stable funding to support the project

Conclusion Cultural preservation cannot be achieved by

ICT alone. a community-based participation model shows

its strengths and challenges to preserve indigenous history and culture.

By getting communities and outside partners involved in the development of digital archive, meaningful use of ICT by community members is likely to follow, bringing with the expected benefits.

Challenges of sustainable development should be addressed.