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Old photo of the Tao people on the shore of
Orchid Island, near Taiwan published in a Japanese colonial government publication, ca.
1931.
An Orchid Island native with a canoe (1960s)
An Orchid Island native in her house
The Tao (traditional Chinese: 達悟族), commonly known by the misnomer Yami (雅美), are a Taiwanese aboriginal people, native to tiny outlying Orchid Island. The Tao are an Austronesian people linguistically and culturally closer to the Ivatan people of the Batanes islands of Luzon in the Philippines than to other aboriginal peoples of mainland Taiwan. The word "Tao" (pronounced Ta-o) means "person" or "people" in both the Tao language as well as in all Philippine languages. The Tao people are traditionally good at making canoes, which is a symbol of their tribe.
In the year 2000 the Yami numbered 3,872. This was approximately 1% of Taiwan's total indigenous population. [1]
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