All About Taiwan's Indigenous Austronesian People!

Dear Reader,

The indigenous people of Taiwan—the oldest members of the vast Austronesian family—are often overshadowed by the primarily sinitic or sinicized lowland cultures of Taiwan. But the Austronesians are a truly incredible group of people.

As Patrick Wyman, creator of the fantastic Tides of History podcast, puts it:

“More than 4,000 years ago, a remarkable migration—one of the great journeys in human history—began in Taiwan. Within just a thousand years, people speaking the Austronesian languages spread out everywhere from the Philippines to Borneo to the previously uninhabited islands of Vanuatu and Fiji in Remote Oceania.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Taiwan’s unique indigenous cultures, check out the two-part podcast series on their dramatic expansion out of Taiwan from Tides of History!

Island Folklore also has a whole section dedicated to Taiwan's Austronesian stories! Below are a few samples from our collection!

Enjoy!

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Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, like many Southeast Asian tribal communities, were once notorious headhunters who struck awe, fear and terror into the hearts of others. For many Taiwanese tribes, a successful headhunt earned an indigenous boy the right to call himself a man.

Through headhunts, indigenous Taiwanese nations offer sacrifices to and communicate with their gods—ensuring bountiful harvests and divine favour and protection.

Deep in the densely forested Taiwanese mountains, these gruesome practices survived well into the 20th century and records of these widespread practices are found in Dutch, Chinese and Japanese histories. The most infamous case told of a major 1930 revolt led by central Taiwan’s Seediq people against the Japanese who colonized the island from 1895 to 1945.

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If you know of any Taiwanese folktale, history, legend, myth or tradition that you'd like to share, let us know! Get in touch via the button below!

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Island Folklore: Taiwanese Tales & Traditions, an online repository of Taiwan's folktales, history, legends, myths and traditions, is published and managed by the Island Folklore Club.

Our mission:

• To collect and preserve Taiwanese folk traditions for future generations.
• To explore and showcase Taiwan's diverse and unique blend of cultures.
• To educate and enable Taiwanese communities worldwide to take pride in the shared Taiwanese heritage.