Loss of Land

Barbed wire fences along the

The advancing of Aiyū-sen marked the process of the modern state power entering the territories of Indigenous Peoples.

資料來源：國立臺灣圖書館

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Land is the very basis for the existence and development of an ethnic group. Each Indigenous community has its own territory, which helps its people to construct their identities and unique cultures of living. Also, the idea of Indigenous Peoples' collective rights to land differs greatly from that of private property, or those concerning land ownership in capitalist systems or modern states.

In earlier times, the Han Chinese acquired land rights from Indigenous Peoples lived in lowland areas through marriage, lease, sale or even force. During the Japanese colonization in Taiwan, the introduction of land registration system and the concept of modern law enabled the colonial government to regulate Indigenous Peoples' possession and use of lands, thus rejecting the "natural sovereignty" (inherent rights to land) of the Indigenous communities living in mountain areas.

Ncaq, a community among the Msutunux group of the Tayal Peoples, was originally located in today's Sanxia District in New Taipei City. From 1886 to 1893, Liu Ming-chuan, the governor of Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty, had been exploiting the resources of camphor on the island by enacting the policy "Opening up the Mountains and Pacifying the Aborigines." Although the community members of Ncaq stood up to the military forces of the Qing Empire, their firm resistance ended up in failure.

During the Japanese colonial period, the coveting of natural resources by the Government-General of Taiwan once again triggered fierce conflicts with Ncaq. Watan Shetsu, head of Ncaq and father of Losin Watan (Lin Jui-chang), had led his people to fight against the Japanese. However, the Indigenous members were defeated, and Payas Shetsu (uncle of Losin Watan) died in the battle. As a result, Watan Shetsu reconciled himself to the colonial government. His son Losin Watan was handed over to Japanese as a hostage and thus educated by them, while the other community members were relocated to today's Fuxing District in Taoyuan City.

The Mitsui General Partnership Corp (the predecessor of the current Mitsui Group) started land reclamation at the original territory of Ncaq in 1912, as it was granted the permit of "reservation for transaction" by the Government-General of Taiwan. This allowed a private entity like Mitsui to receive a concession for land reclamation from the government and to rent the public land for free. After the original territory of Ncaq was successfully reclaimed, Mitsui was granted the permit for transaction in 1921 and officially acquired the land.