From Machete to Bayonet-The Story of Taiwanese Aborigines in the Military

This joke actually contains a grain of truth: the military wants healthy young men. Due to their strength and agility, Aboriginal youngsters are high on their list of favorite recruits, so why wouldn't they want to join up?

This past September, the ROC military held a Han Kwang live-fire military exercise; its first under the current administration. Although all troops taking part in the training, both enlisted and officers, wore camouflage, you could still make out a few physically imposing ones among them performing well executed movements during highly difficult individual live combat training. From their sharp features and well tanned skin, you could tell at a glance that they were Aborigines.

Table 1: Aborigines attending military schools

Aborigines grow up in the mountains and are familiar with mountainous terrain, which is why they're unparalleled in mountain combat. Pictured above are soldiers taking part in camouflage and mountain ambush training at the Aviation and Special Forces Command. On the facing page, marines in full combat gear.

Seeing Aborigines

They don't talk funny like the Aborigine soldier in the Taiwanese military basic training comedy Yes, Sir! and they're nothing like the Aborigines depicted in the song "Life in the Military" being circulated around the Internet: "Only cigarettes, betel nuts, and millet wine are my friends... "

The strength and skills of Aborigines are prized, even revered in a military characterized by discipline and obedience, so much so that they are generally top candidates for special forces. But how many people in society as a whole acknowledge their contributions?

According to figures from the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP), 450,000 of Taiwan's population of 23 million are indigenous peoples. In other words, 19 out of every 1,000 people are Aborigines. Since the measures introduced in 1994 to affirm that the armed forces owe their allegiance to the state and the constitution rather than to any specific party or individual, the ROC military no longer lists members of the military according to ethnic group or ancestral province, so there are no precise figures concerning the number of Aborigines in the military. The Ministry of National Defense (MND), however, estimates that of the 278,000 members of the military, some 7,800, or 28 of every 1,000, are Aborigines-significantly higher than their ratio to Taiwan's total population.

According to statistics of Aborigines studying in military schools kept by the CIP since 2003 (Table 1, p. 75), over the past three years (2005-2007) more than 3% or 30 in 1,000 students in military schools are Aborigines.

These figures illustrate that in the ROC's Han-Chinese-dominated military, Aborigines are not to be written off.

Table 2: Points bonuses for Aborigines applying to military school

Table 3: Aborigines attending non-military schools

Geronimo! Aborigines are a common sight in airborne forces units.

More than a job

A lot of young men would give their left arm to avoid the draft, but for most Aborigines, serving in the military, and making a career out of it in particular, not only allows them to pull in a steady monthly salary, but after 20 years of service they can enjoy retirement pay and benefits for the rest of their lives. Compared with staying back in the tribal village and being looked down on as "good for nothings" or leaving home to do odd jobs in the city, enlisting in the military isn't a bad career choice.

Dr. Chiang Bien, deputy director of the Academia Sinica's Institute of Ethnology (IOE), explains that many years ago young Aborigines had only two employment choices-selling the sweat of their brow by working in the city as laborers, or serving as nurses, teachers, or servicemen. The latter options, especially serving in the military, are seen as important gateways for indigenous people to enter Han-Chinese-dominated white-collar society.

In addition to their impressive physical aptitude, the mindset of Aborigines also makes them well suited to military life. IOE assistant research fellow Chou Hui-min, himself an Amis, describes Aborigine loyalty thus: "Being raised in the traditions of their tribes, Aborigines tend to be unpolluted by the ways of the world and obedient, so that when they're told to jump, they don't argue-they just ask 'How high?'"

Under the planning of Tsao Ming-sheng, a Paiwan who retired last year from the ROC Army as a major general, the Army set up a special operations unit with Aboriginal soldiers at its core. The MND holds the combat capabilities of Aborigines in high esteem, but in recent years it has been working to create a leaner, meaner military. With this goal in mind, it has been trimming off fat. Now, many Aborigines are concerned that the military might no longer be the secure lifelong job option it once was.

Aborigines grow up in the mountains and are familiar with mountainous terrain, which is why they're unparalleled in mountain combat. Pictured above are soldiers taking part in camouflage and mountain ambush training at the Aviation and Special Forces Command. On the facing page, marines in full combat gear.

Aborigines give pause

The ROC military began downsizing in 1997, partially closing the door to Aborigines wanting to join up.

Since it began scaling back, the ROC military has decreased steadily from 450,000 servicemen in 1997 to today's 270,000. Representing the new administration which took over the reins of government in May of this year, Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min clearly stated during questioning at the Legislative Yuan that the military will continue cuts until it reaches its goal of a force of only 200,000 service personnel.

With regard to the sharp drop in service personnel quotas, Tsao Ming-sheng speaks from personal experience when he points out that as the military trims down, it becomes increasingly selective about who it accepts into military academies and into the military as a whole. Military academies accepted only about 37% of applicants last year. That's much lower than the nearly 100% matriculation rate of universities. And although Aborigines are shown preferential treatment in the form of extra points when they take military school entrance exams (see Table 2), the tests themselves have become increasingly difficult to pass. Although the ratio of Aborigines accepted by military academies has remained the same, their actual numbers have declined substantially since the armed forces began downsizing.

A smaller military and tougher entrance standards for military academies means fewer "job openings." Is serving in the military still a viable option for Aborigines who want to improve their lot both socially and economically?

Matalaq Danubak, chairman of the Taiwan Indigenous Teachers Association and a teacher at Kaohsiung County's Keliao Junior High School, has noticed over the years that many youths in Aboriginal villages have started to debate the idea of volunteering for the military, because if they do join up, they might be "laid off" (subjected to compulsory discharge). Furthermore, as matriculation rates for postsecondary schools continue to rise, even Aborigines from disadvantaged homes are more inclined to consider other postsecondary school options over military academies after graduating from secondary school. (See Table 3.)

"Aborigines currently in the service are also worried that with their lack of computer and foreign language skills, they're going to be weeded out of the military. It's just a matter of time. When their hitch is up, therefore, they'll probably not re-up, so that they can get a jumpstart on a career outside, rather than trying after they're already middle aged," explains Matalaq Danubak.

MND regulations stipulate that after 20 years of service, military personnel, both enlisted and officers, are entitled to receive retirement pay for life. According to the Act Governing the Service of Officers and Noncommissioned Officers in the Armed Forces, the age and number of years that an individual can serve in the ROC military is governed by restrictions. Not everyone shall be permitted to serve. Those discharged before completing 20 years' service only receive a lump-sum discharge allowance. For example, an officer that has served for 15 years from the date of his commission, but who has not been promoted above the rank of captain, is subject to compulsory discharge and will only receive a discharge allowance of nearly NT$1.8 million. A sergeant first class that has been forced into retirement because he has not been promoted to the rank of master sergeant by age 50 is entitled to, at most, about NT$740,000.

Matalaq Danubak's nephew is one who opted for an early discharge. After graduating from National Nei-pu Senior Agricultural-Industrial Vocational High School five years ago, he signed up for a three-year stint as a sergeant. Back then, the military tended to transfer service personnel that were more physically fit to outlying islands. He stayed on Taiwan, because he was unwilling to be so far from his family. Because he had no special skills, however, he was assigned the position of squad leader in a kitchen. Three years later, he didn't want to become a career sergeant, leaving him little choice but to leave the service.

Being passed over

Another major reason that Aborigines are disappearing from the military is they have a difficult time getting promoted.

The military has only promoted four Aborigines to the rank of general. The Paiwan Tsao Ming-sheng was the second. He retired last year after a 30-year career. (See article on p. 82.) He divulges that an Aborigine being promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in any branch of the military is already an amazing feat; going even higher is practically unheard of.

One of the main reasons that Aborigines are often passed over for promotion is the fact that they're not skilled at cultivating social networks. It is common knowledge that Aborigines tend to be generous, straightforward, and easy-going by nature, so they make friends easily. On the other hand, they are not skilled at grooming interpersonal relationships with important people. If they aren't strongly motivated to succeed, because they're satisfied with their present lot, they could very easily become a stepping stone to promotion for somebody else in the cliques that exist in the military.

The marines are the ROC military's best fighting men and a disproportionate number of them are Aborigines. The photo above (courtesy of Military News Agency) shows Aboriginal soldiers ignoring pain as they scale the "stairway to heaven" during training. Reaching the top is a prerequisite to becoming a member of frogman units specializing in demolitions.

Opportunity or destiny?

The low socioeconomic status of Aborigines is a driving force behind many Aborigines seeking careers in the military, but promotions that are few and far between oblige them to leave early. Is that simply the way it is?

IOE deputy director Chiang Bien explains that in the current environment, military life remains a viable option for economically disadvantaged Aborigines, but if they are to make it a career, then promotion and training systems that only take into account individual qualifications have to be put in place. Talented Aborigines are left to fight their battles in the military alone. It shouldn't be that way.

Tsao Ming-sheng suggests that since training opportunities for ROC service personnel are limited, unit leaders and supervisors should ensure that any Aborigines under them of the rank of field grade officer or above should be signed up for all available training to ensure that they can take advantage of such opportunities if they are so inclined. "Only by ensuring that they can all receive training can those that are talented but lack social networks or who shy from making themselves stand out have the opportunity to be promoted."

From the perspective of helping Aborigines advance, the military offers them the opportunity to be "upwardly mobile" in terms of socioeconomic status, but it is by no means their only option. Chiang reminds us that we shouldn't stereotype Aborigines simply because of certain characteristics they tend to have. They shouldn't be limited to careers as soldiers, manual laborers, athletes, or entertainment celebrities. And Aborigines in the military shouldn't be channeled into physically demanding jobs like frogmen or special ops just because they are Aborigines.

"Nobody is innately suited to perform manual labor," says Chiang. By the same token, nobody's genes dictate that they should be soldiers. Many economically disadvantaged Aborigines opt to join the military and the military ought to provide them more diverse, fair, and open opportunities. Only in this way can we create a win-win situation for both the ROC military and Taiwan's Aborigines.

There may be no bridge ahead and no way back, but Aboriginal special forces soldiers are still able to cross a river over a rope bridge that they've made.

The marines are the ROC military's best fighting men and a disproportionate number of them are Aborigines. The photo above (courtesy of Military News Agency) shows Aboriginal soldiers ignoring pain as they scale the "stairway to heaven" during training. Reaching the top is a prerequisite to becoming a member of frogman units specializing in demolitions.