TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Council of Indigenous Peoples said Thursday that it has drafted criteria for recognizing members of the Siraya and Taokas tribes.

The CIP said the document was drafted pursuant to Article 9, Paragraph 2 of the Pingpu Indigenous Peoples Status Act and is meant to implement the Constitutional Court’s 2022 ruling that “members of the peoples to which they belong may, in accordance with law, obtain Indigenous status.”

The CIP said the draft is open for public consultation and does not constitute final approval or a determination, per a council press release. It is also not an individual case-by-case status recognition, it added.

The document stipulates that for Siraya tribe members, proof of heritage includes Japanese-era household registration annotations, family genealogy records, historical documentary evidence, and church baptism records. The defined scope of direct lineal ascendants also includes adoptive relationships, the CIP said.

For Taokas members, a person or their direct lineal ascendants must have Japanese-era household registration entries or related forms indicating historical classifications such as “assimilated (熟)” or “Plains Indigenous (平).” These criteria apply only to those living in the Houlong Five Communities in Miaoli County, which include Xingang Village, Houlong Village, Maoyu Village, Tunxiao Village, and Yuanli Community.

The CIP reminded the public that the draft criteria involves individuals’ identity rights and interests.