The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has not only brought security back to the forefront of European political discussions but has also carried significant implications for Taiwan. The very existence of Taiwan—a nation with a vibrant, distinctive identity rooted in democracy—is perceived as a threat by the People’s Republic of China. For many Taiwanese, the looming possibility of a Chinese invasion remains an unspoken yet pervasive concern. However, the typical security narrative does not tell the whole story. We argue that security and sovereignty are complex, contextual, and multifaceted issues, and it is imperative to move beyond conventional approaches.
Inspired by the pluriversal perspectives on peace and security advocated by the Central Eastern European Security Hub (CEEShub), we propose examining these issues through a different lens: the perspective of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples. Taiwan’s Indigenous communities have faced successive waves of colonial invasions, including those by the Spanish (1626–1642), the Dutch (1624–1662), the Chinese Ming Dynasty loyalist Koxinga (1662–1683), and the Chinese Qing Dynasty (1683–1895). In 1895, following the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan, which rapidly implemented a system of militaristic, economic, and spiritual colonization. After 1945, the Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang, KMT) government took control of Taiwan, perpetuating the colonial systems established by Japan. Simon and colleagues found for example that the KMT further suppressed Indigenous movements advocating for self-awareness, self-governance, and self-defense, while also targeting Indigenous intellectuals—deepening the historical trauma.
Despite centuries of colonial oppression, Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples have resisted settler colonialism and fostered a resurgence of Indigenous identity and knowledge. Today, we draw inspiration from the knowledge of the Sakul community on Taiwan’s East Coast.
The case in point is examining issues of security through the example of care– in particular, the difference between care as viewed by the state and the multidimensional care practiced by the Sakul community.
The Cultural Health Station (CHS, wénhuà jiànkāng zhàn) for Indigenous elders in the Sakul community exemplifies how frontline workers draw on cultural sovereignty to resist the state’s welfare logic. Funded by the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP), the CHS is intended to align with Indigenous cultural experiences and challenge mainstream long-term care paradigms. However, in practice, the program often encounters tensions between state-imposed policies and the lived experiences of Sakul elders. These conflicts compel frontline workers to navigate a complex landscape, mediating between the demands of the state and the needs of the community. Through acts of translation, adaptation, and resistance, they strive to create a localized care model that reflects the cultural context and sovereignty of the Sakul elders.
The Sakul elders have taught us that we should not take the state’s security at face value. We found that when the cultural sovereignty of Sakul elders is honored, the community becomes more secure, resilient and empowered. However, restoring cultural sovereignty remains a challenging task, often clashing with institutional frameworks that are rigidly rooted in the old conventional (often colonial) perspectives.
When we talk about sovereignty, we need to move from the singularity of Sovereignty towards plural sovereignties retained by Indigenous communities. For the Sakul community, the loss of sovereignty following the 1878 war with the Qing troops marked a significant turning point; the loss of power to determine their own destinies marked one of the most enduring institutional barriers to the community’s security. Since then, their ancestral lands have been systematically appropriated by top-down militaristic bases and policies. Successive regimes, from Japanese colonization to the Nationalist government, have acted under the pretext of “national security” and “national development,” deeply affecting the Sakul community. While these policies were often framed as efforts to improve the welfare of Indigenous peoples, often in the form such as forcible relocation, a closer look at the historical trajectory reveals a more troubling reality. Their land gradually disappeared, and their sacred river—central to their cultural identity—was reduced to a dry bed as a result of government actions. These actions inflicted lasting trauma and severely impacted the community’s well-being.
This historical context underscores the need to expand the definitions of security and sovereignty, particularly in times of multiple crises. The care workers in the Sakul community not only provide essential support to elders but also follow in their footsteps, working to repair the relationships between people and their environment. By doing so, they lay the groundwork for a model of care and security rooted in cultural and ecological harmony.
Pictures depict Sakal Valley. Source: Private Archive, Wasiq Silan