Taiwan’s Existence Horror of Being Native Taiwan, so familiar a name to us today, has a history that is as complex as can be. No place on earth still has so much to learn from history, from its own history, as Taiwan, an island which over the past centuries has been drawn from the periphery right into the centre of the bustling economic world of East Asia. !*****************! Francis L. Rangoajane [PhD] Walter Sisulu University : South Africa National Taiwan University : Taipei, Taiwan Sponsor : MOFA Hosted by : RIHSS/MST/NTU !******************! 1 Table of Contents Acknowledgments : 3 Foreground : 5 The Research-Taiwan : 7 Giving Natives a Voice : 9 Taiwan and History : 22 European Wanderers Awakens : 26 Natives Name Calling : 32 Natives and Religion : 37 Natives, Way of Life : 45 Missionaries and Hunt for Wealth : 54 Missionaries and Natives Infiltration : 57 The Power of Language : 64 Missionaries’ Education as Colonialism Tool:72 Use of Force to Convert Natives : 78 Divide and Rule Tactics : 79 Exploiting Natives’ Resources : 81 The New Frontier : 84 The Plundering Continues : 88 Invasion and Colonialism : 91 Revisiting Natives’ Ways and Plight : 100 Revisiting Missionaries’ Role and Changes : 105 Colonialism and Impact : 107 A Different but Same Destruction : 111 Missionaries and Slavery : 114 The Big Miss: Missionaries and Church? : 122 The Extermination of Natives : 125 Natives were to Develop at Own Pace : 140 Free élite’ Natives, New Imperialists? : 145 Dutch the Better Devil? : 150 Conclusion : 153 Lessons from Corona Virus : 155 Note : 160 Bibliography : 162 2 Acknowledgements More than three months of COVID-19 National Lockdown with limited and no access to internet can be a big challenge to writing. Thanks to all for assistance, the experience and the knowledge acquired. First of all, my gratitude to Hon. Shih Cheng-Maw, whom I met at South African Institute for International Affair [SAIIA] at University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg while attending one of SAIIA’s events South Africa and Germany in the United Nations in 2018. I told him of my interest to research and do a documentary film on South Africa and Aborigine people. I hope that it will still happen. He invited me to Taipei Liaison Office in Pretoria, where he told me about the history of Taiwan over lunch. How, like South Africa, Taiwan was once colonised by the Dutch. He then advised me to apply for MOFA. It appeared as a distant dream. Nevertheless, he handed everything to Mr Chen-Yun-Bo. I am grateful to Mr Chen Yun-Bo, his assistance throughout the whole process-Application to MOFA, providing names of possible universities to host me including his old university that I ended up been hosted by it, National Taiwan University [NTU]. NTU has such a lovely campus, almost a city by itself, and with facilitating atmosphere for research. Mr Chen handed me over to the lovely people at the Office in Taipei, Centre for Chinese Studies. It was always heart-warming to visit Centre for Chinese Studies due to the warm smiles from Melodie Wu, Shelley Yang and Elaine Wu as if seeing one for the first time. They did such splendid job to make our lives enjoyable. The Dragon Boat Festival was something, having only seen it on television, to be part of it was beyond words. Then the remarkable role of Research Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Ministry of Science and Technology. Thanks to Emily Lin and Whitney Lin for their gentle guidance and patience. Thanks to Chih-Lin Cheng and her magic fingertips of IT. The office, 14F, was great. As noted earlier, National Taiwan University was something and thanks to Ocean Kuo at the Global Engagement Section, Office of International Affairs. Everything worked smoothly especially securing the Library Card to have access to the Library and carry out the research. The pressure denied me to walk and see the entire Library, but some day it will happen. Ocean paired me up with such a wonderful person, the Student Ambassador, Achille Tapsoba. What a character? Before answering a question, he would exclaim “Good Question!” And laugh and then proceed to respond. He gave us such a wonderful tour of NTU. He seems to know the place so well. He was there throughout the research with patience, taking me to places to secure material and also restaurants to try different Taiwanese dishes. Most of all, given my addiction to milk, Achille introduced me to NTU Farm Shop selling organic milk from the university farm. The milk was great 3 and I lived on that throughout. No wonder why there was a que whether be at 8 am and or 3 pm sale of the milk. Going to watch Achille, his team and teammate Jerry practice football and or compete became a form of refreshment and enabled me to see different and beautiful places, especially the sound of insects at the stadium. Sounded like an orchestra. Unbelievable. Thanks to Ms Wu for accommodation at 1F, No. 8, Lane. 85, Changxing St., Da’an Dist., Taipei City. It was nice and quiet, woken up by the sound of birds in the morning. They were rather disciplined birds as compared to the parrots that used to wake us up at the University of Western Australia in Perth. Those parrots joined forces to lift rubbish bin leads and drop them to find food inside with so much squabbling. The accommodation at No. 8 also provided a lovely jogging space along the roads. Finally, my former dormitory mate from Japan Sahito Hayato. Took me to 101 and up to the top of the mountain and look at the Taipei as it goes to sleep and waking up at the same, for there is more action at night especially at the markets. He rented a bike and we zoomed around to the markets. Most of all, Hayato saved me from mosquitos just when I felt like running to the airport and fly out to escape. He took me to a pharmacy and showed me mosquito repellents that worked better. I only learned later from Nat’ Geo’ [National Geographic] that certain Blood Groups, such as mine ‘O,’ were delicacy to mosquitos hence why been feasted upon. Interesting! Let 101 tower on with its splendor and Las Vegas shine and light the nights especially around Christmas time. The Taipei Zoo visit was great. If one wants to hear a real lion roar like the recording at the Zoo, unfortunately meters away and only a fence to protect you, come and visit Kruger National Park in South Africa. But stay in the car or within the lodge, because here human beings have to be enclosed to protect them from free roaming wildlife. And remember almost everything in Africa is hungry and very hungry. 4 Foreground In its own language, the white race argues “Charity begins at home.” On this basis one would be confronted by questions while braving through. First amongst them would be “Did the white race write the Bible before or after Slavery, Colonialism, World War I & II? Ashely Montagu marks that Hitler called his deep-seated hatred of Jews ‘the granite-firm foundation’ of his ideology. Then wrote to Madison Grant to thank him saying his book, ‘The Passing of the Great Race’ that glorified white supremacy was his “Bible”.1 Is not puzzling Why and How could missionaries have failed to convert people of their own race before “heathens” to avert these atrocities? What is also perplexing is religions’ encouraging people to understand how ‘God’ works so that they can serve ‘God’ better instead of learning how Satan works so that they can avoid becoming victims of evil, as perpetrators and or victims. In any given situation whether sports and or war, one side studies the opponent, hence the coming of spies, so that one can be in a position to defend oneself. George Mackay contests; Christianity is not a system of philosophy that may be taught, but a life that must be lived…Not until Christianity is not only believed, but lived, will the churches either at home or in heathen lands become the power the Master meant them to be.2 George Mackay goes further to note that converts are taught that the grace of God has been given to them, not for their sakes alone, but in order that they may be channels for the communication of that grace to others.3 Does that include or excludes Hitler, Nazis and or those who belong to that league, or they never converted to their “religion” that natives been? The follow-up question would be whether missionaries were aware that Satan might be calling itself God as well to be in a position to mount a successful hunt within the human race and consequently win a substantial following? For there is no animal of prey that can blow its cover and announces it presence during the hunt. Carmelite Missionaries Centre of Spirituality, Tagaytay, Philippines hosted World Media Congress in 2016, on the final day while participants went for Tree Planting Experience, someone within the wall of the centre raided international participants’ rooms robbing them of all their monies, dollars and euros. The centre is run by nuns and each room has a cross on the wall. Is it possible that the missionaries, unaware, were its agents? Leonard Gordon contents; Beyond the tall ships and their enterprising merchants, however, were diplomats, naval officers, and missionaries, all seeking to advance the power and the glory 1 Ashley Montagu, Race and IQ, p196 2 George L. Mackay, Formosa, p153 3 Ibid. p154 5 of nation and God. Strengthened by ambition, determination and superior modern technology, their pressure against Taiwan and China was often demanding and combative.4 Llyn Scott, Norman Szabo, Ann Heylen and Andrew Ryan explain that in those days, it was customary that missionaries, known as the clergy of the Dutch Reformed Church, also joined the ships.