Namasia District (

Kanakanavu language Kanakanavu (also spelled Kanakanabu) is a Southern Tsouic language spoken by the Kanakanavu people, an indigenous people of Taiwan (see Taiwanese aborigines). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian family. The Kanakanavu live in the ...

Bunun language The Bunun language () is spoken by the Bunun people of Taiwan. It is one of the Formosan languages, a geographic group of Austronesian languages, and is subdivided in five dialects: Isbukun, Takbunuaz, Takivatan, Takibaka and Takituduh. Isbukun, ...

: ''Namasia''; ), formerly Sanmin Township (), is a mountain indigenous district located in the northeastern part of

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 ...

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 ...

. It is the second largest district in Kaohsiung after

Taoyuan District Taoyuan District () is a District (Taiwan), district of Taoyuan City in northwestern Taiwan. Formerly a county-administered city also known as Taoyuan City () before 2014, when the former Taoyuan County was elevated to a special municipality (Ta ...

. The population of the township is mainly the

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

Bunun, Kanakanavu and Saaroa peoples. The modern-day population of the Kanakanavu people live in the two villages of Manga and Takanua.

Name

On 1 January 2008, the then-township (which then was a part of

Kaohsiung County Kaohsiung County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was located in Fongshan City. History Kaohsiung County was established on 6 December 1945 on the territory of Takao Prefecture () shortly after the end ...

) was renamed from Sanmin to Namasia, as the name of Sanmin (taken from the

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...

Three Principles of the People The Three Principles of the People (), also known as the Three People's Principles, San-min Doctrine, San Min Chu-i, or Tridemism is a political philosophy developed by Sun Yat-sen as part of a philosophy to improve China during the Republi ...

), was considered an overly political name. Rather, the name Namasia was chosen, as it is the name of a local river in the

Tsou language Tsou () is an Formosan languages, 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/Alisha ...

, while its meaning is "better and better" in the

History

During the period of Japanese rule, Namasia was grouped with

Maolin District Maolin District ( Rukai: Teldreka; ) is a mountain indigenous district of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Maolin is one of the least populated districts in Taiwan, since it is located just to the south of the Central Mountain Range. The height ranges from 23 ...

and

and classified as , which was governed under Kizan District of

Takao Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County. Population Administrative divisions Cities and district ...

Geography

The lowest point in the

Qishan River The Qishan River () or Nanzixian River () is a tributary of the Gaoping River in Taiwan. It flows through Chiayi County, Kaohsiung City, and Pingtung County for 117 km. Bridges * Jiaxian Bridge See also *List of rivers in Taiwan References ...

valley is 430 meters above sea level; the highest is the peak of Mount Xinwangling (新望嶺), at 2,481 meters. The four main settlements upriver are Nangisalu (南沙魯), Maya (瑪雅), and Takanua (達卡努瓦) 1 & 2. There is plentiful wildlife: 29 mammal species, 97 bird species, 30 types of reptile, 16 amphibians, and 18 fishes. There are also 89 butterfly species.

Administrative divisions

Namasia District is divided into three

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

s: * Nangisalu Village (南沙魯里) * Maya(Mangacun) Village (瑪雅里) * Takanua(Tangaanua) Village (達卡努瓦里)

Politics

On 29 November 2014, Dahu Istanda of

Taiwan First Nations Party The Taiwan First Nations Party is a minor political party in Taiwan. Formed in 2012, the aim of the party is to represent the voices and issues of Taiwanese indigenous peoples. As of 2018 they have two locally-elected representatives; Dahu Istand ...

was elected the first ever District Magistrate of Namasia. On 24 November 2018, Payan Islituan was elected the District Magistrate of Namasia.

References

External links

* Districts of Kaohsiung Taiwan placenames originating from Formosan languages {{Taiwan-geo-stub