The Pazeh people, including the Kaxabu

Kaxabu people

The Kaxabu people are a variant of the Pazeh/Kaxabu ethno-linguistic group of Taiwanese Aborigines.-See also:*Kingdom of Middag*Formosan languages*Taiwanese aborigines...

, are the descendants of the Tsouic Pazeh speaking indigenous people from the central Taiwanese areas of Taichung

Taichung

-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....

 and Miaoli

Miaoli

Miaoli may refer to:*Miaoli County , a county located in central Taiwan, Republic of China*Miaoli City , the seat of Miaoli County*Miaoli, Zhengzhou , town in Jinshui District, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China...

. Due to the processes of acculturation

Acculturation

Acculturation explains the process of cultural and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures. The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both interacting cultures. At the group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, customs, and...

 and cultural assimilation

Cultural assimilation

Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...

, the majority of Taiwanese

Taiwanese people

Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...

 who identify themselves as Pazeh reside in the Ai-lan district in the central city of Puli

Puli, Nantou

Puli is an urban township in Nantou County, Taiwan. It is the geographic center of Taiwan.In the 19th century the city was known as Posia or Polisia . The Atayal name of the settlement was Sabaha Bakalas, meaning "house of stars"....

, Nantou

Nantou County

Nantou County is the second largest county of Taiwan. It is also the only landlocked county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya Taiwanese aboriginal word Ramtau. Nantou County is officially administered as a county of Taiwan....

.

Current status

The current Pazih community is located around the Ai-lan (愛蘭) Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, which provides support for the Pazeh cultural revival and political mobilization. The Ai-lan Pazih are currently petitioning Taiwan's government

Government of the Republic of China

The Republic of China was formally established by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1912 in Nanjing under the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China but this government was moved to Beijing in the same year and continued as the internationally recognized government of China until 1928. In the history...

 for official status as a recognized tribe

Tribe

A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...

 of Taiwanese Aborigines

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...

.

See also

• Pazeh language
  Pazeh language
  Pazeh is the language of the Pazeh, a Taiwanese aboriginal people). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family. Kulun was a dialect. There was only one remaining native speaker of Pazeh proper, 96-year-old Pan Jin-yu. Since her death, however, the language is extinct...