Taiwanese aborigines

General information

• Total population

2006: 458,000 ^[4]

2004: 454,600 ^[5]

• Homelands in Taiwan
  • Mountainous terrain running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island
  • Narrow eastern plains
  • Orchid Island (Lán Yǔ)
• Languages

14 living Formosan languages. Several of these are endangered or moribund.

Tribes

Recognized: Ami Atayal Bunun Kavalan Paiwan Puyuma Rukai Saisiyat Sakizaya Tao Thao Tsou Truku

Unrecognized: Babuza Basay Hoanya Ketagalan Luilang Pazeh/Kaxabu Popora Qauqaut Siraya Taokas Trobiawan

Gaoshan and Pingpu

• With rare exceptions, the living languages and recognized tribes are of the Gaoshan tribes, who reside in the first two of the three regions given above. The extinct languages and unrecognized tribes are generally of the Pingpu, who formerly resided in the western plains region. The Tao people (or Yami) reside on Orchid Island, are a recognized tribe and speak a living (albeit endangered) language.

The Ami (also Amis or Pangcah) are an indigenous people of Taiwan. They speak an Austronesian language and are one of the thirteen officially recognized peoples of Taiwanese aborigines. The traditional territory of the Amis include the long, narrow valley between the Central Mountains and the Coastal Mountains, the Pacific coastal plain eastern to the Coastal Mountains, and the Hengchun Peninsula. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Old photo of the people of Orchid Island, near Taiwan published in a Japanese colonial government publication, ca. ... The Formosan languages are a group of Austronesian languages spoken 2% of the population of Taiwan, almost exclusively aboriginals. ... An endangered language is a language with so few surviving speakers that it is in danger of falling out of use. ... A language is usually considered moribund (literally, dying) when it is no longer the language of the community, and is no longer learned by children, so that without massive intervention it will likely become extinct when the last of its current speakers dies. ... A woman with a child of Atayal using a machine to make clothes, 1900 Traditional aboriginal designs are often found on modern buildings in Taiwan in places where aborigines traditionally live. ... Bunun people of Taiwan, in formal attire. ... The Kavalan (People living in the plain) (Chinese: 噶瑪蘭族) or Kuvalan are an indigenous people of Taiwan, part of the larger Taiwanese aborigine ethnic group. ... Slabstone House by Paiwan ca. ... The Puyumas Moon-shape Monolith ca. ... A Rukai village Chief visiting Department of Anthropology in Tokyo Imperial University during the Japanese rule. ... Pastaai ceremonies in Nanzhuang, Miaoli, Taiwan The Saisiyat (賽夏) (true people), also spelled Saisiat are an indigenous people of Taiwan, part of the larger Taiwanese aborigine ethnic group. ... The Sakizaya (occasionally Sakiraya) (Chinese: ) is a newly recognized indigenous tribe in Taiwan. ... Old photo of the Tao people on the shore of Orchid Island, ca. ... Thao young man of Sun Moon Lake, Nantou, Taiwan ca 1904 The Thao (Chinese: ) are a small group of Taiwanese aborigines who have lived near Sun Moon Lake (Lake Candidius) in central Taiwan for at least a century, and probably since the time of the Qing dynasty. ... Tsou youth, pre-1945 The Tsou (also spelled Cou) are an indigenous people of Taiwan. ... The Truku (太魯閣族, also romanized asTaroko) people are a Taiwanese aboriginal tribe. ... The Babuza (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; POJ: bâ-bū-cho̍k) are a Taiwanese aboriginal people, living primarily in Changhua County and around the western part of Taiwans Central Basin. ... The Basay are an aboriginal tribe of Taiwan. ... The Hoanya (Chinese: ; pinyin: Hóngyǎ) are a Taiwanese aboriginal people who live primarily in Changhua county, Chiayi city, Nantou county, and near Tainan city. ... Ketagalan are a Taiwanese aboriginal tribe originating in what is now the Taipei Basin. ... The Papora (Chinese: ; pinyin: Bābùlā) are a Taiwanese aboriginal people, living primarily in the area around Taichung and the Taiwanese western coastal littoral. ... The Siraya Boulevard in Southern Taiwan Science Park. ... An extinct language (also called a dead language) is a language which no longer has any native speakers. ... Old photo of the Tao people on the shore of Orchid Island, ca. ... Old photo of the people of Orchid Island, near Taiwan published in a Japanese colonial government publication, ca. ... An endangered language is a language with so few surviving speakers that it is in danger of falling out of use. ... The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. ... Total population 2006: 458,000 [1] 2004: 454,600 [15] Homelands in Taiwan Mountainous terrain running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island Narrow eastern plains Orchid Island (Lán Yǔ) Languages 14 living Formosan languages. ... Eluanbi in Hengchun is the southernmost tip of Taiwan A beach in Kenting, Hengchun Hengchun (Traditional Chinese: 恆春鎮, Eternal Spring Town) is the largest urban township in southern Pingtung County, Taiwan. ...

In the year 2000 the Ami numbered 148,992. This was approximately 37.5% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the largest tribal group. ^[1]. The Amis are primarily fishermen due to their coastal location. Traditional Amis villages were relatively large for indigenous groups, typically between 500 and 1,000. In today's Taiwan, the Amis also comprise the majority of "urban aboriginals" and have developed many "urban tribes" all around the island. The indigenous peoples of Asia are the various groups identified as indigenous peoples within the region, as per the modern definition of that term. ...

Identity and classification

The Amis people generally identify themselves as Pangcah, which means "human" or "people of our kind." Nonetheless, in today's Taiwan, Amis is much more frequently used. This name comes from the word amis, meaning "north." There is still no consensus in the academic circle how "Amis" came to be used to address the Pangcah. One supposition is that it was originally used by the Puyuma to call the Pangcah, as the Pangcah lived to the north of them. Another supposition holds that those who lived in the Taitung Plain called themselves "Amis" because their ancestors had come from the north. The later explanation is recorded in the Banzoku Chosa Hokokusho (Survey Reports on the Savages, 1913-1918, Taipei. See: vol.8, p.4), indicating this might originate from what is classified by anthropologists as Falangaw Amis, the Amis group located from today's Chengkong to the Taitung Plain. Their closest genetic relative appears to be the Filipinos^[2][3]. The Puyumas Moon-shape Monolith ca. ... Taitung City (台東市, Taiwanese POJ: Tâi-tang-chhī) is the capital of Taitung County, Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. ...

According to Taiwanese Aboriginal History: Amis, the Amis are classified into five groups:

• Northern group (located on the Chihlai/Hualien Plain)
• Middle group (located west to the Coastal Mountains)
• Coastal group (located east to the Coastal Mountains)
• Falangaw group (located between Chengkong and the Taitung Plain)
• Hengchun group (located on the Hengchun Peninsula)

Note that such classification, however widely accepted, is merely based on the geographical distribution and tribal migration. It does not match the observed differences in culture, language, and physiques. Hualien City (Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hua-lien shih; POJ: Hoa-liân-chhī) is the capital of Hualien County, Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. ... Eluanbi in Hengchun is the southernmost tip of Taiwan A beach in Kenting, Hengchun Hengchun (Traditional Chinese: 恆春鎮, Eternal Spring Town) is the largest urban township in southern Pingtung County, Taiwan. ...

Other information

Not many people may have seen the Ami, but many people may have heard the Ami. The musical project Enigma used an Ami chant in their song "Return to Innocence" in their second album, The Cross of Changes. This song was the theme song of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The main chorus of it was sung by Difang (Chinese name Kuo Ying-nan) and his wife, Igay (Chinese name Kuo Hsiu-chu), part of a Taiwanese aboriginal cultural performance group. An unauthorized recording was made while they were on tour. Enigma is an electronic musical project started by Michael Cretu, his wife Sandra Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. ... Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, either on a single pitch or with a simple melody involving a limited set of notes and often including a great deal of repetition or statis. ... Return to Innocence is a 1994 song created by the musical group, Enigma. ... The Cross of Changes is a 1993 album by the musical project Enigma. ... The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ... This article is about the history, geography, and people of the island known as Taiwan. ...

Famous people of Ami ancestry include baseball player Chin-hui Tsao. Chin-hui Tsao (Traditional Chinese: 曹錦輝; pinyin: Cáo Jǐnhūi) (born June 2, 1981, in Hualien, Taiwan) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. ...

References

Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zhōngw n) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語, or 中文; Pinyin: H nyǔ, Hu yǔ, or Zhōngw n) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ...

External links

• Taiwanese government page on the Amis