Today (December 3), the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) held the "2024 Indigenous Traditional Medicine Knowledge Revival Exhibition and Forum" at the Chientan Youth Activity Center in Taipei. The event brought together approximately 200 participants, including indigenous healthcare professionals, staff from cultural and health stations, representatives from local governments, and community members interested in traditional medicine. At the event, Deputy Minister Qucung Qalavangan personally presented awards for the "Indigenous Traditional Healing Rituals and Ethnobotanical Culture Audio-Visual Documentation Program," encouraging continued efforts to preserve and pass down traditional medical knowledge. The atmosphere was lively, and participants were deeply moved by the richness of indigenous wisdom.

The CIP has actively promoted the Indigenous Traditional Medicine Knowledge Revival Program since 2020 and has achieved significant results:

1.Establishment of a Traditional Medicine Database: To date, 2,194 entries have been documented.

2.Consensus Meetings with Experts: Annual meetings strengthen the exchange and application of traditional medical knowledge. Participation has steadily increased, with 21 experts in 2022, 22 in 2023, and 43 in 2024, totaling 86 experts over the years.

3.Audio-Visual Documentation Initiative: This program encourages indigenous communities to document traditional healing rituals and ethnobotanical wisdom. The number of submissions has grown annually, with 21 entries in 2022, 34 in 2023, and 49 in 2024, totaling 104 works – a testament to the community's passion for preserving cultural memories.

4.Regional Workshops for Seed Teachers: Since 2022, the CIP has held workshops to train teachers in traditional medicine knowledge. Participation numbers were 265 in 2022, 209 in 2023, and 161 in 2024, fostering a new generation of seed teachers equipped with traditional medical knowledge.

5.Caregiver Training Programs: For the first time this year (2024), the CIP collaborated with Eastern and Western Cultural and Health Station Regional Centers to offer caregiver training courses across 14 counties, with 821 participants. This initiative aimed to enhance the quality of frontline caregiving services and improve healthcare support for the elderly.

The exhibition also showcased the outcomes of seed teacher workshops and reading clubs held nationwide. For instance, one cultural and health station designed a "Pigeon Pea Culinary Experience" nostalgia course, encouraging elders to share their wisdom about the use of traditional plants. These activities not only enriched the course content but also laid a solid foundation for documenting traditional medical knowledge.

Deputy Minister Qucung Qalavangan emphasized the CIP's commitment to safeguarding indigenous health rights, reducing inequalities in healthcare and welfare services, and preserving and promoting traditional medical knowledge. Taiwan’s indigenous peoples possess a wealth of medical culture and botanical wisdom, and the CIP will continue to advance these revival initiatives to protect and sustain this invaluable cultural heritage and to ensure that traditional wisdom thrives in modern society.