When ancestors speak: competing discourses on the repatriation of Indigenous Paiwan ancestral remains in Taiwan

In 2023, Taiwan undertook its first international repatriation of Indigenous ancestral remains. However, this event was less a straightforward success than a consequence of complex discourse. This study examines the Taiwanese state’s official narrative surrounding the repatriation of Paiwan ancestral remains and contrasts it with a counternarrative articulated by Paiwan communities, as revealed through one-on-one interviews. Within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis, the study draws on Halliday’s transitivity system to compare how agency is allocated to Paiwan ancestral remains across these narratives. The analysis reveals how state narrative constructs remains as passive objects of policy and diplomacy, whereas Paiwan narrative positions them as active agents, embodying ongoing presence and relational power. The study argues that repatriation practices, constrained by governmental agendas, risk limiting the potential for reconciliation, transitional justice, and decolonization. It also calls for the genuine recognition of Indigenous voices, knowledge systems, and the sacred balance between the living and the dead.