◎ Taiwan's Aborigines

Apart from the Pingpu Tribe (plains aborigines), who are now virtually merged with the Han Chinese population, Taiwan still has twelve culturally distinct aboriginal tribes: the Amis, the Puyuma, the Atayal, the Saisiat, the Bunun, the Tsou, the Paiwan, the Rukai, the Yami, the Thao, the Kavalan, and the Truku. Numbering some 450,000 people in all, these tribes belong to the Austronesian language group and live partly in mountainous districts, partly on level terrain. They exhibit great diversity in terms of their language, material culture, social organization, and rituals, and they maintain ancient and rich cultural traditions and ceremonies. As a result of colonization by the Dutch, Spanish and Japanese, together with the impact of Chinese culture from the mainland, Taiwan's aboriginal tribes have experienced great social change and their culture faces an uncertain future .