Indigenous people in Taiwan secure land rights for first time in decades

Chen Chu-hsiang completed the first home built under a township initiative for indigenous people in Sandimen Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan.

The project addresses a long-standing issue where land scarcity prevented many residents in Valjulu Village from building their own homes after the village moved to its current site 60 years ago. The Sandimen Township Office coordinated a unified planning initiative over 20 years to resolve these housing shortages.

This effort successfully secured residential land rights for 22 households, with 17 households receiving rights in 2019 and five more the following year. Each household was allocated approximately 165 square meters of land within a project area exceeding 3,000 square meters. Chen, who is 63 years old, spent five years and roughly NT$3 million (US$91,283) to construct her single-story house.

Under this initiative, residents can build homes on designated plots without owning the land, and these land-use rights can be inherited by family members but cannot be sold or bought. While Chen has finished her home, the Sandimen Township Office says only two other households out of the 22 that secured land rights have started construction. Mayor Tseng Yu-chin attended a ceremony for Chen's home, describing the project as a milestone for indigenous land policy and housing rights.