1. Historical context of 400 years of colonization under at least six different foreign regimes in Taiwan, and the nearly four decades of Indigenous peoples’ movement after the lift of martial law in 1987, are definitely not easy to summarize into 12 minutes of talking for you. I would rather prefer informal dialogues to provide some glimpses of my own experience in different levels, scale and scope. In praxis, we are going hand in hand with our parallel strategy of tough campaigns with the state and corporations, and grassroots self-strengthening process.

In the new millennium, there are at least three milestone achievements of Indigenous Taiwan movement in our negotiation with the government:

• Basic law for Indigenous peoples following the UNDRIP draft（2005）
• Formal apology to Indigenous peoples by Taiwan President Ms. Tsai Ying-Wen and established the “Commission of Historical and Transitional Justice for Indigenous peoples” under the Presidential office (2016)
  * Indigenous Languages Development Act (2017)

For self-strengthening process, we are promoting to build up:

• tribal community councils (for the land, nature and cultural commons) adapted from our respective traditional social structures and customary law
• ethnic group's confederacy councils organized by the tribal community councils
• united confederacy of Indigenous Taiwan by mutual recognition and treaties of alliance among ethnic group's confederacy councils

By our ITW-SDA (Indigenous Taiwan – Self Determination Alliance) experience, we start from tribal communities’ resistance to ethnic groups allied actions to an Indigenous peoples' movement to campaign and negotiate with the colonial state and communicate with the dominant settlers’ society about Indigenous decolonization, sustainable self-determination and an inclusive new nation-building to conserve the trinity of language, cultural and biological diversity. It all undergoes spontaneous initiatives, voluntary teamwork, resource pooling and context integration.

2. While our elders guide our youth in the daily acts of resurgence to deepen the embeddedness and connectedness in the post-colonial and post-traditional era, we are also trying to lead a positive envisioning of a common future by our younger generation under the difficult situation of trapping in the modern institutions (education, employment, healthcare and social welfare, etc.) and utilities (housing, energy, communications and transportation, etc.) provided by states and the markets. That's a continuous existential and historical process we are striving on, and would like to have solidarity exchange with all of you most.

3. ITWSDA study circle (a think tank of our tribal activists) have going on some critical subjects:

• Countering human ambition and greed, how can we create the dynamic of transformation through developing scale and scope of influence, following the inter-connected and mutually-embedded multidimensional structure of diversity, politically and economically and beyond politics and economics? Rooted in our original living institutions and social structure, we are seeking for alternative approaches of modern organization and operations for Indigenous peoples’ movement in resisting and transforming the current world order.  
• What will be the way to implement the supposed 'universal' value sets of ‘equality and justice for all’ from a 'full-fledged' humanity onto an evolving tradition of adaptation and innovation by every generation in the fundamental embeddedness in the inter-species-habitats and connectedness to all beings around? We consider cautiously optimistic the changing gender issues, hierarchy, decision-making, and collective livelihood, etc. in contemporary tribal communities.
• Rights of Indigenous peoples are not only to be part of the human rights covenants as they said, but are fundamentally based on the rights of nature that set us as the custodians for territories of life embedded in the inter-species habitats and connected to all beings around us. Instead of putting too much expectation on the UN system works on human and environmental rights, mutual recognition and solidarity support of nature sovereignty beyond states and markets by its custodians should start from our neighbors and go beyond.
• For us, an integrated conservation must be inter-species, cross-generations, and trans-boundaries. Like Pongso no Tao is a small volcanic island of 45 square kilometers only, but it surrounded by coral reefs and passed by Kurushio ocean current with migratory fishes visiting seasonally. Tao people lived there for millennia and learned to surrender to the way of nature, land, sea and air, and immersed in nature as well as tamed by nature thoroughly, as told by Syaman Rapongan, a modern Tao writer.
• Why is the decision-making about development or conservation in any so-called democratic society always taken by sacrificing the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities? If rule of law means 'isonomia', “the equal application of the laws to all,” that may still go against the recognition of a pluralistic framework for implementing the diverse knowledge systems, value systems and governance institutions to conserve the trinity of language, cultural and biological diversity. How could a pluralistic framework for multiple knowledge systems and governance institutions be evolved is really a serious challenge.
• There are two complementary ideas about the role of shaman in Indigenous Taiwan. For the marine Tao people, the word ‘zomiak’ means “a person knowing through channeling beyond general perception to solve difficulties encountered”. While for the mountain Bunun people, the word ‘is'a'aminan’ means “a person with comprehensive understanding and capability of healing”. This is an advanced subject included in our tribal leadership cadre camp after they go through the basic learning program in traditional hunting, fishing and foraging as well as building, weaving and making in their own inter-species habitats. We compare it to the ‘low dimensional’ mainstream modern people and society.
• Where are our bases for radical alternatives? Are they not the marginalized Indigenous peoples' territories, declined rural local communities, abandoned industrial ruin areas and unsatisfied urban proletariats?

4. Keeping in mind that the division and provision of state designated ‘protected areas’ impliciting the destructed/destructing/destructible areas is a clear symptom of schizophrenia of the late industrial civilization. To support our spontaneous struggle, the **ICCA Registry** hosted by UNEP WCMC deserves to be re-considered. While not recognized officially by any country, it can be submitted by the people with a resolution of consensus in its own form and procedure. Furthermore, we may add some key points:

• a self-defined peer review procedure recommended
  - seek mutual recognition by neighboring communities and overlapping government agencies
  - join or build national network/federation of ICCAs-territories of life

Let's always act strategically and creatively besides and beyond the game rules of states and markets, but never be subdued.

5. Here are a few humble suggestions to future GTAGlobal Tapestry of Alternatives solidarity actions:

• GTA should promote mutual recognition among Indigenous peoples/local communities in resisting and seeking for the alternatives to survive and revive. It should be implemented with consensus resolution of people/community, by traditional ceremony and signing treaty of alliance and cooperation.
• GTA may help with fundraising and support arrangements of solidarity exchange volunteers and youth internships among our member organization and communities for in-field and on-frontier mutual learning and capacity building.
• GTA could build a “peoples' think-tank” by and for our alternative activists, call study circle and hold cadre camp on living knowledge, struggle strategy, self-strengthening for resilience, mobilization to organization, campaign to negotiation, etc. for our next generation leadership.

“onotan do voko no sawalan nio.”
(Follow the flow of your irrigation channel!)