Panai Kusui (Chinese: 巴奈·庫穗; pinyin: Bānài Kùsuì; Chinese name: Chinese: 柯美黛; pinyin: Kē Měidài; born 1969) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, guitarist and social activist.[1] Her parents are of the Puyuma and Amis tribes of southeastern Taiwan.

Panai Kusui

Music career

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Panai's first album "ni-wa-wa" was released in 2000 and received an award as one of the top 10 albums of the year by the China Times.[2]

Panai has performed at Tiehua Music Village in Taitung City, which was established by the Lovely Taiwan Foundation to promote indigenous music and culture.[3] She also performed at the fifteenth Migration Music Festival in 2017.[4]

In 2024, Panai won the Golden Melody Award for Best Taiwanese Album for Iā-Pô (夜婆).[5] During her acceptance speech, Panai mentioned the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, and her comments were censored from the internet in China.[6]

Activism

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Panai supported Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-wen in the 2016 Taiwanese presidential election campaign, voicing her support for Tsai, whose grandmother was Paiwan. Panai sang aboriginal songs at Tsai's campaign rallies and post-election victory events, including Tsai's investiture.[7][8] Panai, at these events, voiced the need of formal apologies to aboriginal peoples for past abuses. Elected president, Tsai fulfilled these requests and presented formal apologies to aboriginal populations.[7]

In February 2017, Tsai Ing-wen's government declared a series of public lands as aboriginal ancestral territories.[7] Panai denounced the moves as insufficient since it did not return lands previously taken and now owned by private entities, including notorious mines.[7] Panai's objection was based on two principles: the right of surviving aboriginal tribes to get back their whole territories, and the request for autonomy consistent enough so aboriginal community could negotiate as equals with the government.[7] Panai was one of the leaders of the Indigenous Ketagalan Boulevard protest concerning the delineation of traditional lands of Taiwanese aborigines.[9] On February 23, she occupied using tents the grass ground facing the Presidential Office Building, but was moved out 100 days later, installing herself near a metro entrance, and after 600 (January 2019) had to move again to a nearby park.[7] During the protest, Panai won an appeal against a fine levied by the Taipei City Government,[10] and continued camping until the presidential inauguration of William Lai.[11]

Panai Kusui has also participated in commemorations of the February 28 incident[12] and supported the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.[13]

Discography

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  • ni-wa-wa (泥娃娃) — 2000, TCM
  1. 泥娃娃 Ni Wa-Wa
  2. 不要不要討好 Me Myself
  3. 流浪記 Wandering
  4. 浮沈 Floating, Sinking
  5. 捆綁 Tied Up in Knots
  6. 大武山美麗的媽媽 My Beautiful Mother, Da-Wu Mountain
  7. 過日子 Sometimes
  8. 失去你 Gone is Gone
  9. 天堂 Heaven
  10. 你知道你自己是誰嗎 Do You Know Who You Are?
  11. 怎會會這樣 Why?
  12. 每一天 Every Day's Dream
  • Pur-dur & Panai Unplugged Live — 2001, TCM
  1. I'm Happy Because You're Happy
  2. Ho-ai-yE-yan
  3. Tied Up in Knots
  4. Talking
  5. Why?
  6. Rice Wine
  7. My Beautiful Mother, Da-Wu Mountain
  8. Memories of Orchid Island
  9. Talking
  10. Yi-na-pa-yiu-ddia
  11. Talking
  12. MuMu's Blue
  13. Rain and You
  14. Relaxed and Happy
  15. Ho-yi-na-lu-wan
  16. Tai-ba-lang Folksong
  • A Piece of Blue
  1. 海歸 (Sea return)
  2. 媽媽請你不要放心 (Don't worry mama)
  3. 我 (Me)
  4. Talaluki
  5. 我和自己 (Me and myself)
  6. 看到你的臉 (When I see your face)
  7. 愛!愛!愛! (Love you!)
  8. 飄 (Drifting)
  9. 停在那片藍 (A piece of blue)
  10. Afternoon

References

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  1. ^ Lin, Chia-nan (January 20, 2019). "Aboriginal advocates move lilies as they evacuate protest camp in 228 peace park". Taipei Times. Taipei. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. ^ "Taiwan Color Music".
  3. ^ Ho Yi (June 13, 2014). "Events and entertainment listings". Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Gibson, Liam (September 29, 2017). "Women on the road". Taipei Times. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Lin, Sean; Wang, Hsin-yu (June 29, 2024). "No Party For Cao Dong biggest winner at Golden Melody Awards". Central News Agency. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Wang, Hsin-yu; Lee, Hsin-Yin (June 30, 2024). "China's censoring of 'Tiananmen' remarks highlights Taiwan's value: Singer". Central News Agency. Retrieved June 30, 2024. Republished as: "China's censorship underscores value of Taiwan: singer". Taipei Times. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "« A l'allure où vont les choses, que restera-t-il de nos cultures ? » : à Taïwan, la résistance des aborigènes". Le Monde.fr. January 22, 2020.
  8. ^ Loa, Iok-sin (May 21, 2016). "Democracy focus of celebrations". Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  9. ^ "Uprooted by Taipei, indigenous people undaunted in fight for rights". Central News Agency. April 5, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  10. ^ "Indigenous singer wins appeal against fine, but fight goes on". Central News Agency. August 12, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2024. Republished as: "Panai Kusui continues her battle for land rights". Taipei Times. August 13, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Lo, James; Chang, Hsiung-feng (May 6, 2024). "Indigenous activist to end 7-year protest camp on inauguration day". Central News Agency. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "FEATURE/Remembering Feb. 28 Incident: Taiwan's youth turn to music". Central News Agency. February 28, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  13. ^ "Dozens of singers, musicians produce song to support Hong Kong". June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2024. Republished as: "Taiwanese, Hong Kong artists write song for protesters". June 30, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
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