S5 E3: Indigenous Peoples, Global Ties: Reimagining Taiwan through Its Pacific Roots ft. Margaret Yun-Pu Tu (a.k.a. Nikal Kabala’an)

“Taiwan is not only a geopolitical hotspot—it's part of a much longer Indigenous history across the Pacific.”

In Taiwan Salon Season 5 Episode 3, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Spring 2026 Intern Cara Bilson speak with Margaret Yun-Pu Tu, a PhD candidate in Law at the University of Washington and co-founder of the Seattle-based NGO Pacific Alliance for Autonomous Traditions, Indigenous Sovereignty (PAFATIS). Margaret shares her experience representing Taiwan at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), where Taiwanese Indigenous communities can circumvent diplomatic constraints and engage directly with Indigenous movements worldwide.

Facing shared struggles—from language loss to land rights—Taiwan's Indigenous peoples and global Indigenous communities have naturally formed a sibling bond. Margaret explains how connecting with broader Pacific Indigenous networks empowers Taiwan's Indigenous movements to amplify their voices and reshape narratives about Taiwan's identity.

Useful Links:

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• UNPFII: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/indigenous-peoples/unpfii
• PAFATIS (Pacific Alliance For Autonomous Traditions, Indigenous Sovereignty) website: https://www.pafatis.org/about-1

• Upcoming event in Seattle by PAFATIS: https://calendar.washington.edu/Id-Do-Anything-to-Survive-Life-Stories-of-Taiwans-Indigenous-Peoples-in-the-Interstices-of-Authoritarian-Rule/E197857780