In the evening of February 27, 1947, investigators of the Monopoly Bureau were confiscating contraband tobacco in front of Thian Má Teahouse. One of the tobacco vendors, Lîm Kang-māi, was beaten and injured by the investigators during the process. After the conflict became intensified, another civilian named Tân Bûn-khe was accidentally killed and therefore provoking public outrage. The next day, people marched and protested on the streets. When the crowd arrived at the Chief Executive's Office (today’s Executive Yuan), they were shot at indiscriminately by soldiers with machine guns. Some people went to Taiwan Radio Station (today’s Taipei 228 Memorial Museum) and broadcasted the incident to people all over Taiwan. They raised issues such as severe poverty, corrupted Chinese Nationalist officials, and food shortages brought by the huge amount of rice export, while encouraging people to join them for fighting back. Thus, the conflict occurred in downtown Taipei began to spread to other areas of Taiwan and grew into a larger, island-wide resistance. Throughout the incident, both the protesters and the government attempted to ally with Indigenous Peoples. The Indigenous community leaders also took the opportunity to contemplate their peoples’ future. Some Indigenous communities decided to participate in the resistance, while others chose to observe the situation quietly. There were also a few Indigenous people who more or less got involved in the February 28 Incident as individuals out of various reasons, such as studying in urban areas.

Reactions of Indigenous Peoples in Different Areas

After the Second World War, community leaders, elders or young leaders of new generation played an important role in managing the Indigenous community affairs. Once the resolution was made by the community committees or leaders, most community members would choose to follow.</span></span></span>

Although the Indigenous Peoples in northern Taiwan were once invited to join the resistance, at last they decided not to do so. In central Taiwan, few Indigenous people participated in the fight as individuals. Those from Alishan in southern Taiwan chose to support both sides by agreeing to help maintain orders, while protecting post-war Chinese officials such as Yuan Kuo-chin, the Tainan County Mayor. In eastern Taiwan, most of the Indigenous Peoples remained neutral and provided protection for post-war Chinese immigrants including Hsieh Chen, the Taitung County Mayor.

At the Moment of the Incident

When the February 28 Incident broke out, the Taiwan Provincial Training Corps was hosting its first training course for township mayors. 23 Indigenous township mayors were grouped together as Class A of Township Section under the Department of Civil Affairs while they were trained in Taipei. However, Uong'e Yatauyungana, the mayor of Wufeng Township (currently Alishan Township), did not take this course because of illness.

On March 1, as the situation in Taipei worsened, the Provincial Training Corps considered that it would be better for the mayor trainees to return to their townships to reassure the townsmen. With the approval of the Civil Affairs Department of the Chief Executive's Office, the training course ended on that day instead of March 11 as it was originally planned. After the Education Dean Han Pu-hsien encouraged the township mayors to “make a clear distinction between right and wrong, as well as between obedience and defiance; lead your people to abide by the laws while demonstrating the national spirit,” the class was dismissed in the afternoon. However, not all the township mayors had returned to their hometowns directly because of the long distance.

Northern Taiwan

On March 1, 1947, Chen Chih-liang, the mayor of Wulai Township, Taipei County, held a meeting for the village chiefs and township representatives to demonstrate that the February 28 Incident was “incited by some villains and thus had nothing to do with us, Indigenous Peoples,” while advising the townsmen to stay calm. Although some students from plain areas went to Wulai to persuade the Indigenous people there to leave the mountain by luring them with food and wine, it turned out that thanks to Chen Chih-liang’s proper handling of the situation, no one left with the students.

It was believed that Chen Chih-liang had sent two Indigenous township representatives, Silan and Morong, to Kak-pán Mountain (today’s Pillow Mountain) to seek advice from Losin Watan, the then director of the public health center in Jiaoban Township. Losin Watan analyzed the situation and urged the representatives to go back soon, in order to stop their people from participating in the Incident.On March 3, 1947, Tiuⁿ Hong-khian, the deputy Mayor of Taiping Township in Taipei County (currently Datong Township of Yilan County), summoned the village chiefs, township representatives, Indigenous community leaders, and police officers to explain the Incident. He told the locals to stay cautious and not to be incited or to act recklessly. On March 6, the Township Mayor Lí Éng-chìn returned and forbade the Indigenous people to leave mountain areas by reaffirming the previous order.

Central Taiwan

The 27 Brigade was very active in central Taiwan, and its influence had reached to the regions of Taichung, Nantou, and Hsinchu. The intelligence agencies were very concerned about the intended alliance between various Taiwanese ethnic group and Japanese. On March 1, 1947, the intelligence agencies were informed that Chiā Soat-hông had established the combat command headquarters in Taichung. Ever since then, every relevant intelligence report mentioned the assistance for Chiā Soat-hông offered by the Japanese army and Gaoshan people (or simply referred to them as the savages).

Cheng E̍k-jîn, leader of the 27 Brigade, recalled that when the Puli Battalion led by N̂g Sìn-kheng supported combats against the Chinese Nationalist army in Taichung on March 3, there were six to seven Indigenous young men in this troop. They had joined the 27 Brigade at Kancheng Barracks in Taichng. Tân Bêng-tiong also recalled that there were members of the Pingpu Peoples from Puli in the Battalion when they attacked Taichū Prefectural Education and Culture Center. N̂g Kim-tó, the leader for Battle of O͘-gû-lân on March 16, also mentioned that several Indigenous individuals joined him and fought together.

Cheng E̍k-jîn once suggested that the main force of the Brigade should rely on the “Indigenous youth with combat experiences.” After the 27 Brigade withdrew from Taichung on March 7, Cheng E̍k-jîn went to Wushe to visit several people including Liāu Tek-chhong, the director of Nengkao District. Cheng and Liāu communicated with each other smoothly in Japanese; however, the Indigenous people there were not willing to join the Brigade because of the painful memories of the Musha Incident. Meanwhile, when Chiā Soat-hông receded to Puli, she also made contact with the Bunun Mayor of Renai Township Takisyan Nao ( Kao Tsung-I). Although Kao was sympathetic about her situation, he still worried about the Indigenous townsmen who were deeply affected by the Musha Incident, and thus did not want to see another tragedy coming. If the 27 Brigade went into mountain areas, it would definitely bring the Chinese Naionalist army in and cause unimaginable consequences. At last, Kao agreed that his people could only join the battle as individuals.

When the February 28 Incident broke out, Paicu Yata'uyungana (Kao Chu-hua, daughter of Uong'e Yatauyungana) was attending the junior normal school course at Taichung Normal School. She assisted in taking care of the post-war Chinese immigrants who were brought together for protection. Later, she withdrew with the 27 Brigade to Puli, then to Jhuci and returned to her home in the mountains. According to her recollections, there were only few Indigenous people joining the battle.