Chinese Culture > Culture in Taiwan > The Culture of Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples > Tsou Culture
The Tsou's
The
Tsou, who number about 6,000 and originate from Yushan (Mt. Jade), are divided
into northern and southern subgroups on the basis of geographic distribution,
language, and customs. Traditionally, Tsou people have a very tight tribal
organization, using men's meeting houses and farming, fishing, and hunting
rituals to maintain the tribe's fundamental education and beliefs. Special
cultural features include the Mavasvi war ceremony held after vanquishing
enemies, Homeyaya harvest ceremony, skills in preparing animal hides, taboo
against hunting or eating bears, and military courage. The southern Tsou have a
shell ceremony (derived from the belief that ancestral spirits reside in shell
heads taken out by priests and held by each person during the ceremony) and
farming rituals. During the period of Japanese rule, however, immigration into
southern Tsou areas by large numbers of Bunun people has led to them becoming a
minority and greatly influenced the transmission of their traditional culture.
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