Siraya Language Revived, Indigenous Group Gains Legal Recognition in Taiwan

Uma Talavan, a Siraya activist, has spent more than two decades reviving a language that was declared extinct over a century ago. Her work, along with that of her father Wan Cheng‑hsiung (Cheng‑hiong Talavan) and other community members, helped secure the Siraya’s formal recognition as Taiwan’s 17th Indigenous group. The group celebrated the decision at a ceremony in Taipei on July 30, after traveling from Tainan. In August, the Siraya opened the Koupi Experimental Elementary School in Sinhua district, where learning Siraya is now mandatory. The revival not only restores a lost linguistic heritage but also affirms the community’s legal status and provides a model for other indigenous groups seeking recognition.