Chinese Culture > Culture in Taiwan > The Culture of Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples > Pinuyumayan Culture

 

The Pinuyumayan's

The 9,000 Pinuyumayan may be subdivided into Jhihben and Nanwang on the basis of slight differences in language and culture. Combat ability acquired by strict training in traditional schools, and skill in handling relationships rulers meant that for a long time the Pinuyumayan controlled relations with the neighboring Amis and Paiwan groups.

Important Pinuyumayan rituals include the men's monkey ceremony (to develop courage), annual ceremony, and women's hoeing ceremony. Despite considerable penetration by Western and Han Chinese religions into tribal areas, the high priestess of the tribe is still responsible for predicting good or inauspicious omens, and combining their powers to perform a ceremony at the end of the grieving period.

Advertisement