Chinese Culture > Culture in Taiwan > The Culture of Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples > Rukai, Paiwan Culture
The Rukai and Paiwan
The
Rukai and Paiwan number around 10,000 and 77,000 respectively. They share many
common cultural features, including belief in sun and hundred-pace snake totems,
a social hierarchy of nobility and common people, bilateral descent system
(combining partilineal and matrilineal features), manufacture of earthenware
pots and glazed beads, woodcarving arts, and swing (an important wedding
ceremony participated in by women). Under the aristocratic system, nobility
leased land to commoners for farming, allowing other tribe members to
concentrate on artistic creativity. This led to the artistic achievements of
these two ethnic groups becoming the most distinguished among all Taiwan's
indigenous peoples.
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