The Makatao people (
Makatao: Makatau;
Paiwan: Ljacalisian), also written Makatau or Makattau, are an
indigenous people
There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. The Makatao originally settled around lowland
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...
in
Southern Taiwan
The regions of Taiwan are based on historical administrative divisions. However, most of the definitions are not precise.
Division into two regions
* Eastern and Western Taiwan: the Central Mountain Range separates Taiwan into east and west.
:* ' ...
, later largely migrating to
Pingtung and even further to
Taitung in the early 19th century due to the influx of Chinese immigrants.
The indigenous people allegedly historically called themselves ''Tau'' or ''Makatao'' according to Japanese anthropologist,
Inō Kanori
was a Japanese anthropologist and folklorist known for his studies in Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Inō was the first person who classified the aboriginal tribes into several groups, instead of the traditional classification, dating back to th ...
, around the early 20th century, but other researchers considered them to be part of the
Siraya or their language as part of
Sirayaic from
Tainan
Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...
to
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...
to
Pingtung County
Pingtung () is a County (Taiwan), county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county ...
. Presently, the Makatao people living across the lowland plains of Pingtung County do not know or no longer know anymore the original meaning of this name, ''"Makatao"'', and no one recalls any ancestor calling themselves ''"Makatao"'', but nevertheless this formal respectful collective name for the community is accepted within the community, but normally, Makatao villagers of the
Pingtung plain refer to themselves in
Taiwanese Hokkien
Taiwanese Hokkien ( , ), or simply Taiwanese, also known as Taigi ( zh, c=臺語, tl=Tâi-gí), Taiwanese Southern Min ( zh, c=臺灣閩南語, tl=Tâi-uân Bân-lâm-gí), Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively ...
or in
Taiwanese Mandarin
Taiwanese Mandarin, frequently referred to as ''Guoyu'' () or ''Huayu'' (), is the variety of Mandarin Chinese spoken in Taiwan. A large majority of the Taiwanese population is fluent in Mandarin, though many also speak a variety of Min Chinese ...
.
In November 2024, a representative of the Makatao people submitted a formal request to the Council of Indigenous Peoples for official recognition.
See also
*
Jiaruipu Temple, also called Kanapo Temple
*
Makatao language
*
Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples
Taiwanese indigenous peoples, formerly called Taiwanese aborigines, are the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, with the nationally recognized subgroups numbering about 600,303 or 3% of the Geography of Taiwan, island's population. This total is incr ...
*
Plains indigenous peoples
Plains indigenous peoples, also known as Pingpu people ( zh, c=平埔族群, p=Píngpu zúqún, poj=Pêⁿ-po͘-cho̍k-kûn) and previously as plain aborigines, are Taiwanese indigenous peoples originally residing in lowland regions, as opposed ...
References
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