Taiwan Indigenous News
Friday, 20 February 2009
TB Treatment Delays In Taiwan
It should also be noted that the mortality rate and incidence of TB are much greater in aboriginal communities in Taiwan than in non-aboriginal areas. ...
Taiwan's indigenous population up 2.05 percent
MOI officials said the increase was about six times that of the 0.34 percent rate of growth of Taiwan's overall population. Taiwan's indigenous people were ...
Not the same old song and dance
He aims to present a more authentic picture of Aboriginal performing arts and culture. “I want our customers to see the performances in their most original ...
President pushes to boost tourism in Taiwan's indigenous areas
8 (CNA) Concerned over the development of tourism in Taiwan's indigenous areas, President Ma Ying-jeou asked government agencies Sunday to work with travel ...
Legend has it that in the ancient past the Bunun lived at the foot of the highest peak of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range, Yushan (Mount Jade). Here the soil was fertile, and harvests were bountiful and rich. All kinds of animals would grow stout and strong. But one day a fierce storm arose out of nowhere, the earth shook and the skies ripped open. What was even more terrifying, a huge python wound its way across the rivers in the mountain valley. Soon the waters were flooding the mountainsides, submerging the Bunun settlements and sending the villagers running for their lives in panic. Taking whatever they could salvage, those who could fled with their families up the mountain until they reached the very top of Yushan.
In their own language, the word bunun simply means “people”. The Bunun were among the first aboriginal tribes to come and settle in Taiwan. Living among the towering peaks and steep precipices of the Central Mountain Range, the Bunun learned to move about the emerald forests with swiftness and agility, developing the deliberate poise and explosive power of wild animals. They have an intimate knowledge of their natural environment. Since they are perceived to be weaving in and out of sight with great alertness, and have been known to carry victims of mountains accidents downhill for treatment and care, only to miraculously disappear again, their elusiveness has earned them the name “Yushan Spirits”.
The Six Main Communities