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Background factors for migration
Since the beginning of the 1960s, Amis
natives from Hualien started the first wave
of migration to major metropolitan areas due
to employment opportunities. The increasing
migration has created a number of ethnic
communities in the cities and resulted in a
large decline in population in Hualien and
Taitung area. Many experts concluded a
number of contributing factors: a decline
trend of aboriginal agriculture, money or
market economy intervention, as well as
better employment opportunities and wages in
the cities. Based on related study results,
one other key factor stimulating city
migration is the less favorable conditions
for overall development in education,
entertainment, culture, and economy.Top
Overview of the migration history (Mr. Yi-chang
Tsai)
Situations of Population Migration and
Return
Migrants are mostly made up with young men
coming right out of military and forced to
leave their hometown for employment
opportunities or pressure for marriage.
Second most migration populations are
married men with families and forced to
leave their hometown for better employment
opportunities. Basically, migrations of
entire families are less common and the
majority of migration populations consist of
married individuals and unmarried single
persons. In general, a migration chain is
created when waves of migrations from same
hometown areas settle in a close net
community in the cities. Before migrating to
the cities, aboriginals find out employment
opportunities and housing information
through networking with migrants in the
cities. Similarly, new migrants generally
settle quickly in their own ethnic
communities with helps from existing
migrants.
The phenomenon of aboriginal migrations can
be proved by the “Push and Pull” theory
where “push” signifies the desperation of
inadequate resources in aboriginals’
homeland and “pull” glorified the promising
employment opportunities. Many aboriginals
move to cities solely in attempts to gain
employment while keeping their properties in
their homeland in the event of failures.Top
Formation and Transformation of Shanguang
Community
In 1976, a group of Amis aboriginals, who
lived in Nangang’s Tatung apartment,
demonstrated a compassionate act by
providing affordable housings to the
aboriginal migrants in need. Based on
observations, many aboriginals faced
challenges in housing arrangement
constantly. As a result, a housing committee
by a group of 10 members was formed with
responsibilities in finding a perfect
location for the new community and marketing
the new community to the aboriginal circles.
Overcoming several challenges, the
construction of new Amis-based metropolitan
community started in 1979.
Though the new community was originally
designed to accommodate more than 300
housing units, there were only a total of
166 units completed in the end due to less
than average financial means and less
convenient location. Among the completed
units, Han Chinese owned quite a few of
them. In recent decades, the rapid
development in major metropolitan areas had
resulted in drastic urban expansion. As a
result, Shanguang Community had become one
of the target areas with great development
potentials among neighborhood developers.
The development trend has tremendous impact
on the future of Shanguang Community made up
with eight 2-story housing complexes. In
1993, a group of Shanguang residents formed
a committee focusing on reconstructing the
community complexes. Led by Wufeng
Construction Company, residents agreed to
demolish two of the 2-story complexes and
turned the site into a 14-story RC building,
also known as Wufeng Building. Today,
Shanguang Community is surrounded by
high-rise buildings and more floor spaces
were added to the rest of the original
2-story housing complexes
Due to the construction of Shanguang
Community and the networking among Amis
residents, the adjacent neighborhoods like
Houdeli and Jhunghsiaoli had attracted an
increasing number of Amis migrants. On the
other hand, some of the original Amis
residents from Shanguang Community bought
other properties in the area for upgrading
their living because their financial
situations had improved over the years. As a
result, these available housing units
attracted even more aboriginal migrants and
the population of the adjacent neighborhoods
has been increasing steadily. Nonetheless,
Han Chinese population has a higher increase
than the aboriginals. Upon completions of
surrounding high-rise buildings, the average
price of housing units even topped four
millions and the number of Han Chinese
residents grew in a much higher rate. Based
on the study of Yang-chi Fu (1993), Han
Chinese population remained 30 % before
1992. Because of challenges in high voltage
power management and property ownership, no
one anticipates any drastic changes in
Shanguang Community in the near future.
Nonetheless, the sharp increase in the
area’s Han Chinese populations has created
enormous impacts in this aboriginal-based
community neighborhood. Furthermore, the
increasing aboriginal population in Shijr
Township has fostered a number of
ethnic-based communities in the area.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of resources
available, it has been challenging for the
governing authorities in Shijr Township to
address issues for each community.
Therefore, it has been a major concern among
Shijr’s aboriginal communities when it comes
to ways to request available resources,
establish consensus of inter-community
collaborations, and preserve traditional
culture in the modern society.Top
Community structure and system
Currently, a chief-based leadership is still
in place in Shanguang Community. Shijr
Aboriginal Youth Fellowship is one of the
major community organizations. In addition,
there are three major church organizations
for Shirjr’s aboriginal populations:
Christian Changshu Church, Zion Church, and
Catholic Church. There are a number of
fellowship groups among the area’s church
organizations such as the women’s fellowship
from Catholic Church, the women’s fellowship
from Changshu Church, youth fellowship, and
more. Regularly scheduled events target
community residents and church organizations
have become influential among the area’s
aboriginal communities.
The chief-based leadership system is a major
characteristic of Amis culture. After the
completion of Shanguang Community, Amis
residents established a chief system and an
age-based class system as well as hosted
Masarut annually. Based on Amis customs, a
new chief is elected every four years and
there are four chiefs and four deputy chiefs
by far. Males over 60 years of age are
treated as “tribal elders” in this
community.
In the past, the annual Masurut was hosted
and sponsored by the chairmen and leadership
of “Shijr Township Metropolitan Aboriginal
Living Improvement Committee” along with the
community chief and tribal elders. In the
past, the leadership majority was made up by
members of Shanguang Community and the
committee was much easier to manage. Because
of the growing multi-ethnical populations in
Shijr Township in recent years, the makeup
of the committee is more diversified as a
result. Therefore, conflict of interests has
become a negative factor in planning and
developing community events and
collaborations.
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