Paiwan people

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paiwan
Total population

70,331 (2000)

Regions with significant populations
Taiwan
Languages
Mandarin, Paiwan
Religions
Animism, Buddhism, Christianity
Slabstone House by Paiwan ca. Prior to 1945
Slabstone House by Paiwan ca. Prior to 1945

The Paiwan () are an aboriginal tribe of Taiwan. They speak the Paiwan language. In the year 2000 the Paiwan numbered 70,331. This was approximately 17.7% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the third-largest tribal group. [1]

The unique ceremonies in Paiwan are Masaru and Maleveq. The Masaru is a ceremony that celebrates the harvest of rice, whereas the Maleveq commemorates their ancestors or gods.

[edit] History

One of the most important figures in Paiwan history was supreme chief Toketok (ca. 1817 - ca. 1873), who united 18 tribes of Paiwan under his rule, and in 1867 concluded a formal agreement with Chinese and Western leaders to ensure the safety of foreign ships landing on their coastal territories in return for amnesty for Paiwan tribesmen who had killed a ship's crew* on a previous occasion.

  • An Okinawan vessel shipwrecked on the southern tip of Taiwan and the crew of fifty-four were beheaded by the Paiwan aborigines. When Japan sought compensation from Qing China, the court rejected the demand on the grounds that the "wild"/"unsubjugated" aboriginals (traditional Chinese: 台灣生番; simplified Chinese: 台湾生番; pinyin: Táiwān shēngfān) were outside its jurisdiction. This open renunciation of sovereignty led to a Japanese invasion of Taiwan.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (DGBAS). National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan). Preliminary statistical analysis report of 2000 Population and Housing Census. Excerpted fromTable 28:Indigenous population distribution in Taiwan-Fukien Area. Accessed PM 8/30/06