Abstract
The Indigenous peoples of Taiwan maintained their valuable cultural and ecological understanding before colonial and post-colonial authorities started their systematic efforts to exclude them through land theft and enforced cultural assimilation and economic limitations during the last hundred years. This research paper demonstrates that successful business expansion occurs through reliable cooperative systems, enhanced infrastructure, and robust intellectual property protection, as these factors help communities reach economic self-sufficiency through value-driven development. It focuses on the Indigenous peoples who launched their business operations after enduring for years colonial-era land confiscation and forced assimilation policies that marginalized them.
By demonstrating through policy evaluation techniques and industry-specific case studies, the paper examines the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act (2005) together with funding from the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) to understand their functions and effects. Thereby, it is possible to understand how state-backed initiatives promote Indigenous development and their resulting impact. The study focuses on three main sectors, which include cultural tourism at the Amis Harvest Festival, handicraft production that merges traditional indigenous methods with modern designs, and specialty farming that cultivates heritage crops such as millet. The business initiatives show promise but encounter multiple obstacles because they operate from remote locations and face competition from fake mass-produced goods, insufficient intellectual property protection, and youth migration to other regions.
The business initiatives by the Indigenous peoples show promise but have encountered multiple obstacles. This includes remote locations, fake mass-produced products, insufficient protection of intellectual property, and youth migration to other areas. The presented paper shows sustainable development requires Indigenous peoples to establish their governance systems and regain economic control while safeguarding their cultural heritage for upcoming generations.
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