1895 年，日本據有臺灣之後，隨即在原住民部落推動教育。本文藉由歷史文獻的閱讀分析，深入探討日治時期的「蕃童特別教育」，以及受過如此教育之原住民菁英與部落發展之問的關係。隨著「理蕃」政策的需要，讓原住民治理部落成為殖民手段之一，於是開啟所謂「蕃秀才」的特別教育計畫。選擇受過初等教育的原住民菁英，接受較高等的教育，這些接受完較高等教育的原住民菁英，大多回到部落服務，進而致力於部落的改造與發展。原本殖民者的意圖在於使這群受過較高等教育的原住民菁英，能夠成為殖民者的代理人，但教育經驗卻讓這群菁英除了承受殖民命令外，也關照到整個部落的未來，運用自己所學將部落帶往近代文明的方向發展。

Immediately after Japan occupied Taiwan in 1895, they set off to improve the education of the indigenous tribes in Taiwan. In this paper, by reading and analyzing historical documents, the researcher presents an in-depth analysis of the special indigenous children’s education during the Japanese colonial period and the relationship between the indigenous elites who received such education and tribal development. Due to the need to govern the indigenous people, as part of the colonial scheme, Japanese colonizers set up special indigenous education for the elites with the expectation that those indigenous elites would govern the tribal people. The Japanese colonizers selected the indigenous elites who finished primary education to undergo secondary education. When those indigenous elites finished secondary education, most of them went back to their tribes to serve their people. They were devoted to the reconstruction and development of their tribes. Japanese colonizers’ original intention was to appoint those indigenous elites as colonial agents. In addition to complying with these colonial orders, those indigenous elites also took care of the future of the tribes and were able to use their educational experiences to promote tribal development.