The indigenous tribes of Taiwan are known as the Austronesian people and are widely dispersed around the world. The geographical distribution of Austronesian peoples is from the West near Madagascar, an island country located off the southeastern coast of Africa to Easter Island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It also runs from Taiwan in the north to New Zealand in the south. To sum up, Taiwan is in the northern most part of the Austronesian people’s range.



     Currently, the government of Taiwan officially recognizes 14 tribes. These include the Amis (阿美族), Atayal (泰雅族), Bunun (布農族), Kavalan (噶瑪蘭族), Paiwan (排灣族), Puyuma (卑南族), Rukai (魯凱族), Saisiyat (賽夏族), Sakizaya (撒奇萊雅族), Seediq (賽德克族), Tao (雅美族), Thao (邵族), Tsou (鄒族), and Truku (太魯閣族). Each tribe has their own unique cultures, languages, customs and social structures. All in all, aborigines have played a significant role in Taiwanese history and culture and form part of the beauty of Taiwan.

     Aboriginal dance and music is performed differently according to the customs of each tribe. When watching an aborigine’s performance, you will be affected by the jovial quality of their voices. They combine their singing with clapping and raise and hold each other’s hands while dancing together. Later, they swing their arms and stomp the floor with their feet following the rhythm. Often they will shout aloud together to show their unity. Forming a big circle with their arms, they dance, sing and clap simultaneously, which strengthens the bonds of affection that binds all of them together. What’s more, no matter how many people join the dance in the circle, they won’t break the circle, which shows that they stick to rules during group performances.

     Aborigines are an important asset of Taiwan; therefore, they often represent Taiwan by performing overseas on important occasions. For example, they were invited to give a show for guests from around the world in 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition. When you visit Taiwan, make sure you enjoy the Taiwanese aborigine’s dances and music and feel the power of their enthusiastic performances!