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The Tsou ( Tsou: ''Cou''; ) are an
The Tsou are traditionally based in the Alishan area. Their rich
indigenous people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
of central southern Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
. They are an Austronesian ethnic group. They reside in Chiayi County
Chiayi County ( Mandarin pinyin: ''jiā yì xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Ka-gī-koān'') is a county in southwestern Taiwan surrounding but not including Chiayi City. It is the sixth largest county in Taiwan.
Name
The former Chinese placename wa ...
and Nantou County
Nantou County (; Hokkien POJ: ''Lâm-tâu-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Nàm-thèu-yen'') is the second largest county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country. It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives fro ...
.
The Tsou numbered around 6,000, approximately 1.19% of Taiwan's total Indigenous population, making them the seventh-largest indigenous group. They are sometimes confused with the Thao people of Sun Moon Lake
Sun Moon Lake (; Thao: ''Zintun'') is a lake in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. It is the largest body of water in Taiwan. The area around the lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes of Taiwan. Sun Moon Lake surrou ...
.
History
The Tsou are traditionally based in the Alishan area. Their rich oral histories
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...
describe migrations of each ancient clans' ancestors into the area between Yushan and the Chianan Plain Chianan or Jianan may refer to:
Taiwan
* Chianan Plain, largest plain in Taiwan
* Chianan Irrigation, canals of Chianan Plain of Taiwan
Han Dynasty
*Jian'an, name for the period of rule (196—220) of the Emperor Xian of Han
*Seven Scholars of Jia ...
. Originally, each clan had its own settlement, with the first multi-clan town, Tfuya, forming approximately 1600 CE.
The earliest written record of the Tsou dates from the Dutch occupation, which describes the multi-clan settlement Tfuya as having approximately 300 people in 1647. Ethnologists
Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...
have attempted to reconstruct the development of Tfuya, proposing that each stage of clan migration could be equivalent to three or four generations of family. Another Formosan group of Bunun origin called the Takopulan reportedly lived in the same area, but were absorbed by the Tsou. Their largest settlement had 450 people in 1647. During the Japanese colonial period, four Tsou groups were recorded: Tfuya, Tapangᵾ, Imucu and Luhtu.
Notable Tsous
*Francesca Kao
Francesca Kao (born 24 August 1972) is a Taiwanese Tsou actress, singer and television host,
known for her duet with Jacky Cheung, "You're the Most Precious".
Since 2003, Kao has acted in numerous television series and films. She has won tw ...
, actress, singer and television host. Her native name is Paicʉ Yatauyungana.
* Tang Lanhua (湯蘭花), Taiwanese singer and actress. Her native name is Yurunana Daniiv.
* Tibusungu 'e Vayayana, Deputy Minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples
The Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP; ), formerly known as the Council of Aboriginal Affairs, is a ministry-level body under the Executive Yuan in Taiwan (Republic of China). It was established to serve the needs of the country's indigenous ...
.
* Aikaterini Saini (湯蘭花), Taiwanese singer and math teacher. Her native name is Saini Tsou.
See also
*Tsou language
Tsou () is a divergent Austronesian language spoken by the Tsou people of Taiwan. Tsou is a threatened language; however, this status is uncertain. Its speakers are located in the west-central mountains southeast of the Chiayi/ Alishan area in ...
* Taiwanese indigenous peoples
Taiwanese indigenous peoples (formerly Taiwanese aborigines), also known as Formosan people, Austronesian Taiwanese, Yuanzhumin or Gaoshan people, are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous peoples of Taiwan, with the nationally recogni ...
References
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