Atayal
Encyclopedia
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
. In the year 2000 the Atayal tribe numbered 91,883. This was approximately 23.1% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the second-largest tribal group. The meaning of Atayal is "genuine person" or "brave man."
Folklore
According to stories told by their elders, the first Atayal ancestors appeared when a stone, Pinspkan, cracked apart. There were three people, but one decided to go back into the stone. One man and one woman who lived together for a very long time and loved each other very much. But the boy was shy and wouldn't dare approach her. Whereupon, the girl came up with an idea. She left her home and found some coal with which to blacken her face so she could pose as a different girl.After several days, she crept back into their home and the boy mistook her for another girl and they lived happily ever after. Not long after, the couple bore children, fulfilling their mission of procreating the next generation. The Atayal custom of face tattooing may have come from the girl blackening her face in the story. The Atayal custom of facial tattooing (ptasan) requires that girls first learn to be accomplished weavers and cultivators before they may have their faces 'adorned'. Male tattooing is relatively simple, with just two bands down the forehead and chin.
Origins
In the past, many anthropologists believed the Atayal migrated from Malaysia or IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Evidence now suggests that they are the descendants of those who crossed over the Taiwan Strait almost 7,000 years ago from regions that are now inside southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, northern Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
or Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The first record of Atayal inhabitance is found near the upper reaches of the Choshui River. However, during the late 17th century they crossed the Central Mountain Ranges into the wilderness of the east. They then settled in the Liwu River valley.
Seventy-nine Atayal villages can be found here.
Lifestyle
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, gathering, and growing crops
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
on burned-off mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
fields. The tribe also practiced crafts such as weaving, net knotting, and woodworking. They also had traditional musical instruments and dances.
The Atayal were known as great warriors. To earn his facial tattoo, a man had to bring back at least one human head; these heads, or skulls, were highly honored, given food and drink, and expected to bring good harvests to the fields. (See Headhunting
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
) They were known to be fierce fighters as observed in the case of the Wushe Incident
Wushe Incident
The Wushe Incident or Wushe Event or Wushe Revolution / Rebellion / Uprising / Insurrection of 1930 was the last major uprising against colonial Japanese forces in Taiwan...
in which the Atayal fought the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese. A girl would learn to weave when she was about ten or twelve. She had to master the skill to earn her tattoo. Only those with tattoos could marry, and after death, only those with tattoos could cross the utux hongu, or spirit bridge (the rainbow) to the hereafter.The facial tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
, in Squliq Tayal, is 'ptasan.'
Traditional dress
The Atayal were good weavers as well and symbolic patterns and design can be found on Atayal traditional dress. The features are mainly of geometric style, and the colors are bright and dazzling. Most of the designs are argylesArgyle (pattern)
The argyle pattern is made of diamonds or lozenges. The word is sometimes used to refer to an individual diamond in the design but more commonly refers to the overall pattern. Most argyle layouts contain layers of overlapping motifs, adding a sense of three-dimensionality, movement, and texture...
and horizontal
Horizontal plane
In geometry, physics, astronomy, geography, and related sciences, a plane is said to be horizontal at a given point if it is perpendicular to the gradient of the gravity field at that point— in other words, if apparent gravity makes a plumb bob hang perpendicular to the plane at that point.In...
lines. In Atayal culture, horizontal lines represent the rainbow bridge which leads the dead to where the ancestors' spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
live. Argyles, on the other hand, represent ancestors' eyes protecting the Atayal. The favorite color of this culture is red, because it represents “blood” and “power.”
The Atayal tribe was also known for using facial tattooing and teeth filing as rituals of initiation. The practice of tattooing their faces has attracted much attention; in the past a man had to take the head of an enemy, showing his valor as a hunter to protect and provide for his people and the women had to be able to weave cloth to show their coming-of-age and maturity before they could tattoo their faces.
Atayal in modern times
The Atayal tribe in Taiwan resides in central and northern Taiwan. The northernmost village is Ulay (Wulai in Chinese), about 25 kilometers south of central Taipei. The name Ulay is derived from /qilux/, hot, because of the hot springs on the riverbank . http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/oldworld/middle_east/atayal_tribe.html The Wulai Atayal Museum in the town is a place to learn about the history and culture of the Atayal.
In recent years the mainly Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
community of Smangus has become well-known as a tourist destination, as well as an experiment in tribal communalism
Communalism
Communalism is a term with three distinct meanings according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary'.'These include "a theory of government or a system of government in which independent communes participate in a federation". "the principles and practice of communal ownership"...
.
Many Atayal are bilingual, but the Atayal language
Atayal language
The Atayal language is spoken by the Atayal people of Taiwan. Squliq and C’uli’ are two major dialects...
still remains in active use.
Notable Atayal people
- Tom ChangChang Yu-shengChang Yu-sheng was a Taiwanese male pop singer, as well as a composer and producer. His major accomplishment as a producer may have been the pop singer A-mei. While driving fatigued on October 21, 1997, he was fatally injured in a car accident and fell into a coma...
, singer - May ChinMay ChinStage named May Chin, Kao Chin Su-mei , born on September 21, 1965 in Heping Township, Taichung County , Taiwan as Chin Su-mei, to a Han Chinese father and a Taiwanese Aborigine mother, is a Taiwanese singer, actress and politician...
, actress, singer and politician - Vic ChouVic ChouVic Chou is a Taiwanese actor, singer and commercial model. He is a member of the Taiwanese boy band F4, and has starred in Taiwanese dramas. His stage name, 周渝民, literally means “a completely changed person”...
, actor and member of pop group F4F4 (band)F4 is a Taiwanese boy band. The group began in the Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden as F4 with members Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu, Ken Chu, and Vic Chou... - Vivian HsuVivian HsuVivian Hsu is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and model who has gained remarkable popularity in East Asia, mainly in Taiwan and Japan.Hsu rose to prominence in Japan, where she made her first appearance in 1995 and has become a highly-recognized celebrity with her countless appearances in media...
, model, actress, and singer - Albee HuangXiao XunXiao Xun is a singer and actress. She is in the Taiwanese girl band Hey Girl. Her specialties are playing piano, singing, and acting. Her interests are playing piano, singing, and reading novels. Her wish is to spend a carefree life with the person she loves....
, actress and singer - Yuming Lai, singer of rock duo Y2JY2J (band)Y2J is a Taiwanese rock band composed of two participants from the 2007 season of One Million Star, a singing competition. The band released its debut album "Live For You" on August 25, 2008....
- Irene Luo, singer
- Jolin TsaiJolin TsaiJolin Tsai was born on 15 September 1980. She is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning Mandopop singer, dancer and actor. She is managed by Mars Entertainment Ltd .-Career:...
, singer - Joanne Tseng, actress and member of pop duo SweetySweetySweety is a Mandopop band from Taiwan, a duo consisting of Esther Liu and Joanne Tseng .As of 2006, Sweety has released three studio albums and two soundtracks...
- Landy WenLandy WenLandy Wen is a Taiwanese singer.A member of the Atayal ethnic group, she is one of the few Taiwanese aborigines to become a musical star....
, singer