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「南島」論述最先是由語言學家展開，南島的希臘文字根即意味著南太平洋上的眾多島嶼，語言學者發現，此區域中的語言之間，彼此存在相似性，經長期研究，語言學家便將這群語言距離相近的民族歸類為南島語族。

南島語族是世界上分布面積最廣的語言家族，其整體範圍西起馬達加斯加島、東至復活節島、南達紐西蘭島、最北端則為台灣。隨著語言學家、考古學家確立了「南島語族」的親近關係，以及各學者以不同領域的證據加以推論，雖然關於南島民族的起源地，目前尚無一致的看法與定論，但學界較盛行的說法為「台灣是南島民族的起源地」。

近年來，隨著國際社會對原住民人權的關注、討論與反省逐漸增加，台灣原住民運動也逐漸與全球原住民論述接軌。「台灣是南島民族起源地」之論述不僅為台灣延伸國際外交的平台，也為台灣原住民尋得跨國、跨區域的當代發展經驗交流機會，並形成相互支持的網絡。

為促進國民認識南島區域文化、歷史、社會現況與政治、經濟等議題相關知識，在考量資訊完整度及可取得性之下，透過網路運作規劃線上南島圖書資訊資料庫，提供國內外研究者與一般民眾使用，期待能持續推廣南島研究及加深國民對南島的認識。

The discourse on Austronesia originated in linguistic research. The word “Austronesia” consists of two cognates; “austro” stems from the Latin root austrālis ‘of the south,’ whereas “nesia” stems from the Greek root nesos ‘islands.’ As such, “Austronesia” is the collective term for the multitude of islands scattered across the South Pacific Ocean. Linguists have discovered certain similarities between the languages spoken in this region, and there is even evidence of commonalities. After decades of research, linguists now formally categorize these similar languages as the Austronesian languages, indicating that these “closely related” languages belong to the same language family.

According to linguists and anthropologists, the Austronesian language family is the most widespread language family in the world. It ranges as far north as Taiwan, west to Madagascar, east to Easter Island, and south to New Zealand. We can see from the description above that, within the field of linguistic studies, “Austronesia” is a geographical term that describes the distribution of this language family. There hasn’t been any universal agreement among linguists and anthropologists that ancient Austronesian languages originated from the same source. However, “Taiwan being the origin of Austronesian Peoples” is a relatively popular belief among scholars.

In recent years, the increasing awareness of indigenous peoples’ rights and discussions have aligned Taiwan’s indigenous movements with global indigenous discourses. The discourse “Taiwan is the origin of Austronesian peoples” not only serves as a platform for Taiwan’s international diplomatic outreach but also a network for local indigenous peoples seeking cross-country and cross-region exchange of experiences regarding current development while offering support to each other.

This database was created to facilitate understanding of Austronesian regional culture, history, status of different societies, as well as political and economic issues. Considering the comprehensiveness and availability of information, this database is open to local and global researchers and the general public. The objective is to continue promoting Austronesian studies and deepen people’s understanding of Austronesian issues.