After the Pingpu Aboriginal Ethnic Identification System was launched, the Pingtung County Government actively completed the registration of the Siraya ethnic group members. Today (10th), Cai Deng Huiling, Deng Zhenyu, and Deng Zhenguo, sisters and brothers, jointly completed the registration of the roster and subsequent household registration. The identity of the ethnic group that has long existed in family memory and self-identity has been clearly confirmed through legal procedures. It has also written a very meaningful page for Pingtung's promotion of the Pingpu Aboriginal Ethnic Identity System.
The 63-year-old eldest sister Cai Tang Huiling happily shared that since she started working in society, people have often asked her, "Are you an Aboriginal?" In the past, she always answered "No" because she really couldn't prove that she was an Aboriginal, although she always believed that she was one. Now that I have obtained the status of the Siraya tribe of the Pingpu Aboriginal group, I can respond generously, "I am a Pingpu Aboriginal person!". I am especially grateful to the Pingtung County Government for its kind handling. The process was smooth.
Deng Zhenguo also said that since he was a child, he only knew that his grandmother, who married from Anping, Tainan, to Pingtung, was an aborigine. He did not know which ethnic group he belonged to. This year, the government announced that the Siraya people were officially named the 17th aboriginal ethnic group in Taiwan. The family searched for their roots together and found out through their ancestral genealogy that they were from the Siraya people. In the process, they also learned more about Taiwan's history. "I am very happy and honored to be an aborigine!"
Yin Fenglan, deputy head of Pingtung County, said that for a person, identity is not just a household registration note, but also carries family history, cultural memory and recognition of where they come from. The registration completed by the three sisters together is not only the completion of administrative procedures, but also the identity of a family for many years. They finally have a formal and clear name. Applications from the Siraya tribe are currently being accepted, and the Makadao tribe will be promoted in the future.
The Aboriginal Department of Pingtung County Government has accepted applications for inclusion in the roster of members of the Siraya ethnic group since August 13, 2026. It has conducted formal and substantive reviews in accordance with the "Pingpu Aboriginal Ethnic Identity Law" and the requirements for identification of ethnic membership announced by the central government. So far, a total of 104 people have met the requirements for identification of members of the Siraya ethnic group and have been included in the roster of ethnic members in accordance with the law and a letter of consent for inclusion has been issued.
The Department of Aboriginal Peoples stated that the registration of ethnic members on the register and the registration of aboriginal status and ethnic group in the household registration are administrative procedures at different stages. After the applicant meets the certification requirements and completes the list registration after being reviewed by the county government, the county government will issue a letter of approval for the registration, and then bring the relevant documents to the household registration office to register the aboriginal status and ethnic group, completing the legal procedures.
