絢麗的七色彩虹──原住民族健康的美麗與哀愁

Gorgeous Colorful Rainbow: The Beauty and Sorrow of Indigenous People's Health

"臺灣原住民族居住於臺灣已有8,000多年，屬於南島民族最北端的臺灣原住民族，在過去考古學、語言學及人類學的印證之下，目前總人數50多萬人的臺灣原住民族，雖然僅占世界南島民族三億人口總數的0.11％，然而從古代南島民族的起源、以及自亞洲大陸東南地區向海洋遷徙和擴散的過程當中，臺灣原住民族佔有不可或缺的關鍵地位（原住民族委員會，無日期）。而臺灣原住民族的文化多樣性，讓族人數千年來能因應各種高山或海洋等地理環境，加以發揮與善用因地制宜的特性，從而發展適合族群的生活慣習、生計型態、生命禮俗與祭典儀式等，此傳統智慧知識，就像一道絢麗的七色彩虹，從古至今跨越而深沉醞釀出臺灣原住民16個族群獨一無二的生命價值觀。"

Residing across this island for over 8,000 years, Taiwan's indigenous people represent the world's northernmost population of Austronesian islanders. Although Taiwan's more than 500,000 indigenous citizens today account for only 0.11% of the 300 million Austronesians worldwide, Taiwan and Taiwan's long-thriving Austronesian culture played an indispensable role in the historical migrations of ancient Austronesian peoples from Mainland Asia and their proliferation throughout the Pacific (Council on Indigenous Peoples, n.d.). The cultural diversity of Taiwan's indigenous people allowed their many ethnic groups to adapt to the island's climatic and environmental diversity, ranging from high, temperate mountains to tropical coastlines, for thousands of years. These groups have adapted well to local conditions, developing living habits, livelihood patterns, life customs, and ceremonies suited to their lives. Traditional wisdom and knowledge, like a colorful rainbow, have shone from ancient times up through the present and are woven deeply through the unique life values of the 16 ethnic tribal groups on Taiwan Island.