Imagining First Nations: From Eeyou Istchee (Québec) to the Seediq and Truku on Taiwan

Abstract

In Canada, indigenous communities have gained recognition as First Nations endowed with specific and potent constitutional rights. This legal status has made Canadian First Nations into models for indigenous demands around the world, including in Taiwan. The goal of this paper is (1) to reflect on Canadian and Taiwanese examples to understand how indigenous communities have constructed national identities and achieved recognition as First Nations with inherent legal rights; (2) to explore how indigenous peoples in Canada and Taiwan have achieved recognition as participants in democratic politics and as sites of constitutional rights; and. last but not least, (3) to appreciate what lessons they can learn from one another.