The Villages of The Sakizaya Tribe Are Concentrated in Hualien County

Today, the villages of the Sakizaya tribe are concentrated in Hualien County and include Beipu, Meilun, Desing, Jhubu, Yuemei, Shansing, Shueilian, Jici and Malayun villages. The remainder of the tribe is scattered among other Amis villages and in urban areas of northern Taiwan. The population of this tribe is roughly estimated to be between 5,000 and 10,000.

According to historical records, around 1630, the Sakizaya inhabited the Cilai Plains. There they were often attacked by other tribes such as the Kavalan and Truku, as well as by Chinese soldiers. In 1878, the Jaliwan Incident occurred in which Qing dynasty troops burned down a bamboo fence that the Sakizaya had built to protect their village. To prevent the massacre of his people, the chieftain, Komod Pazik, surrendered. He and his wife Icep Kanasaw were killed by the soldiers. The surviving members of the tribe moved into areas of Amis villages, mixing in with this tribe and hiding their identity in fear of reprisals by the Chinese troops. During the Japanese occupation, the Sakizaya were thought to be part of the Amis tribe. However, there are large differences in the languages spoken by these two tribes. During the coming-of-age ceremony, there is a rite of blessing in which the elders of the tribe are fed by those of the younger generations. This is a tradition unique to the Sakizaya. In addition, every four years, during the coming-of-age ceremony, a bamboo fence must be built, which is another tradition that separates it from the Amis tribe.

In 2001, the Sakizaya began their effort to revive their culture and to bring back their traditional ceremonies, clothing, dances and songs, including the unique “work song”. The colors of their clothing are brownish gold, maroon and black. This tribe also holds ceremonies to commemorate those ancestors that lost their lives and that escaped from the invading Chinese troops, as well as a worship ceremony to Palamal, the god of fire. After a period of exhaustive research, the Sakizaya, which had been hidden for 128 years, became Taiwan’s 13th officially recognized tribe on January 17, 2007.