Page 5 - MidWeek - Dec 1, 2021

December 1, 2021
MIDWEEK 5
Taiwan & Hawai‘i
The ties between Taiwanese indigenous culture and Hawaii’s cultural past
PART ONE OF THREE
Did you know
that Taiwan has indigenous peoples, like Hawaii?
Amis People
Fire God Ritual of the Sakizaya People
Those unfamiliar with the colorful history that comprises Taiwan and its indigenous peoples will be delighted to learn that there are many similarities between the Taiwanese and the Polynesian voyagers who came to our Hawaiian Islands. Because of all these parallels and the amical heritage of Taiwan’s 16 diverse tribes, we’ve dedicated a three-part series to exploring this fascinating connection and showcasing the rich culture and customs of the Taiwanese people, who also share a deep appreciation and respect for nature.
Some historians go as far as to write that
the Polynesians are just Taiwanese in disguise. Some legends say that Polynesians came from “Hawaiki.” Anthropological researchers have mused over the whereabouts of this mysterious land; Jean Trejaut and Marie Lin of Mackay Memorial Institute in Taipei have come to the conclusion that Hawaiki is in fact Taiwan.
Dr. Trejaut and Dr. Lin are among the anthropologists who hypothesize that the Maoris and other Pacific islanders, including Hawaii’s Polynesians, descend from Taiwan’s aborigines. Thanks to modern research, the two professors boiled their reasoning down
to genetics, and the gene pool of Taiwan’s indengious peoples is colorful and warm, with a hospitable essence that makes them warm and welcoming to outside visitors.
According to the Council of Ingenious Peoples (CIP), Taiwan’s 9 main tribes were mountain dwellers, which explains why they were able to conserve and protect their heritage in the rugged hills in comparison to the Taiwanese who dwelled on the plains, who are virtually extinct due to intermarriage with foreign cultures. Regardless, their roots and customs remain alive today, and organizations such as the CIP and Hawaii’s Taipei consulate are working to preserve and protect this vivid ingenious culture that mirrors that of our Islands.
Today in Taiwan, there are 16 officially recognized indigenous tribes: Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Yami, Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Sakizaya, Sediq, Hla’alua and Kanakanavu. Each tribe has its own distinct culture, language, and social structure.
The largest indigenous tribe in Taiwan
are the Amis, who have magnificent rituals, their annual Harvest Festival being the most notable, which is widely celebrated today. In 2020, this group comprised 213,544 people whose ancestors believed that they descended from deities if they were “people of the north”; and from a stone, if they came from the south. The Amis are now spread across the northern, central, and southern portions of the island
of Taiwan and conserve a rather spiritual connection to their land and their heritage. Traditionally, Amis believed that all things have their own spirits: spirits in heaven and on earth, with whom their priest would communicate to relieve diseases. Other traditions include the Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving, following the annual millet (now rice) harvest, which has evolved into a mass multicultural celebration that is not to be missed!
Next week, in part 2 of our three-week series, we’ll dive deeper into the relation between Taiwanese indigenous culture and our own past, exploring culture, tourism, and these vivid celebrations.
Monkey Hunting Ritual of the Pinuyumayan People
Mayasvi (War Ritual) of the Cou People