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 ...
Living as they do surrounded by the sea, most of the Taos’ rites and ceremonies are related to the ocean in some way. Their “Ocean Worship” consists of three distinct rituals, the “Flying Fish Ceremony”, the “Canoe Launching Ceremony”, and the “Millet Festival”. The most important aspect of worshipping the sea is to celebrate a rich catch of fish.
The Tao have their own indigenous lunar calendar, and they lead a life in which fishing and agriculture are of equal importance. Their religious rites and ceremonies are intricately connected with their year-round fishing schedule, particularly the catching of flying fish. This is why they are also called the “Flying Fish People”. Between January and February, the Tao celebrate their “Clearing the Land Festival”, a ritual that marks the beginning of the sowing season. In March or April, the high season for catching migratory fish such as various kinds of flying fish, they hold the “Flying Fish Ceremony”. In October, which is the slack season for fishing, there are the “Pottery Festival” and the “Gift Festival”, and on the 28th day of lunar November, the Tao celebrate their “Bumper Harvest Festival”.
They were very happy about this. There was no need for them to take much care of their offspring, because the children were able to stand and walk the minute they were born. Later, when the children had grown up, they got married. But strangely, their own children were either blind, or cripples. So Stone Boy, the man born from a rock, asked his wife, “Bamboo Girl, the children of our children are all crippled or blind or something—maybe that’s because their parents are brother and sister. So I’ve come up with an idea: let our sons swap wives! What do you think?” Bamboo Girl replied, “Yes, that might work.” So their children swapped spouses, and after that, all their offspring was normal with regular eyes, noses, mouths, and four healthy limbs. Stone Boy and Bamboo Girl slowly grew old, and by the time they had become grandparents, Stone Boy, the tribe’s first ancestor, began to give names to all the plants and animals on the island. His people, however, had no personal names yet, and they all called themselves Tawo (now mostly spelled “Tao”), which simply means “person” or “people”.