Chapter 1

In the 1920s, Japan implemented an assimilation policy in Taiwan, which led to the indigenous elites feeling even more exploited and discriminated against by the colonizers after receiving Japanese education.

The core leadership is led by Rahol Malibu, a member of the Paiwan tribe, one of Taiwan’s indigenous groups. He comes from an aristocratic background and studies socialism and Marxism. He believes that the oppression of Taiwan’s indigenous people is the ultimate manifestation of the colonial system.Note: This section introduces the hereditary aristocratic class system of the Paiwan people. Chiefs, nobles, gentry, and commoners are common classes in Taiwanese indigenous societies (especially the Paiwan and Drekay ), forming a pyramid structure: Chiefs (the highest leaders) and nobles (with hereditary land and privileges) occupy the top tier, possessing land, power, and adornments (such as lilies and head tattoos); gentry occupy the middle tier, with those achieving merit able to rise in rank; commoners (ordinary people) occupy the bottom tier, required to pay rent to the nobles, but marriage and merit also offer opportunities for upward mobility, creating a fluid and rigorous social system. If you’re interested, you can look it up yourself.

Founded in 1922, Rahol Malibu and his associates established the Takasago Communist Party and the Takasago Guerrilla Force in Taitung. Objective: To combine communist theory with the collective spirit of the indigenous people, liberate all Taiwanese indigenous people, and free them from the oppression of capitalism, Han Chinese, and Japanese imperialism.

Key members: guerrilla leader Rahol Malibu, tactical expert Watan Pawan, intelligence liaison Yapu Mona, logistics procurement and guide Abus Kalim, eastern liaison Naruwan Mayaw and commando vanguard Bihou Nokan. Note: Naruwan Mayaw was Rahol Malibu’s wife.