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I thought I'd start a thread on the indigenous people of Taiwan/Formosa. Tribes who speak various Austronesian languages, Taiwan is believed to be where the other Austronesian languages branched off according to one theory.
To me they seem quite distinct from other Austronesian cultures, as distinct from Filipinos, Indonesians.etc as the Polynesians, if not moreso. In both physical appearance (having a more sharp/hooked nose than other Austronesians) and culture (e.g. head-dresses) they seem reminiscent of Native Americans, and I wonder if they are closely related, having inhabited Asia not long after people arrived in the New World.
I only really became aware of the Taiwanese aborigines not too long ago - I'd never thought much about Taiwan, but soon learned that the original people of the island were not the majority later Han immigrants. In fact, however, it's believed human beings have inhabited the island for 30,000 years or so even before them. I did get to learn a bit about their culture in Taiwan and it's interesting.
They don't seem that well known worldwide among the indigenous groups. How aware were you personally of their existence? Even within Asia it doesn't seem like they have a high profile. Now most have assimilated into Taiwanese culture, but if you go to the west of the island in particular you can still at least see vestiges of them in their phenotype (there are 500,000 or so) and cultural exhibits put on mostly for Taiwanese tourists.
There seems to be no tension between aboriginal people and the han majority. That's why you are unaware of them. Mainland China is similar in this regard.
I read that 'Tao' or Yami tribe came from Ivatan not them going to the Philippines.
An Ivatan from Batanes, Philippines went to Taiwan in Orchid Island & settled there.
I wonder how much kinship other Austronesians feel towards the Taiwanese natives?
Most I met were very friendly. They seem pretty integrated into mainstream society, most young ones speaking Mandarin now. Hopefully they still preserve some of their culture though.
And yes, generally across Asia, I would say from India East to the Pacific you can find many similarities culturally between various populations and Native American groups. For example, among the "indigenous" traditions of Asia you have many cultures that practice shamanism and fetishism similar to native Americans. There are also many that also wore feather headdresses and other attire similar to native Americans. However, many times what we see today are shows put on for tourists, which do not necessarily represent the full diverse nature of all these customs or peoples and therefore can be misleading. And I am sure in Taiwan you aren't seeing a 100% exhaustive representation of every tradition that existed prior to the modern invasions of the last 100 years or so.
I wonder how much kinship other Austronesians feel towards the Taiwanese natives?
Most I met were very friendly. They seem pretty integrated into mainstream society, most young ones speaking Mandarin now. Hopefully they still preserve some of their culture though.
Most other Austronesians don't know much about Taiwanese aborigines. Taiwanese aboriginese are one of forgotten people in the world.
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