Narrator: Hello everyone, today we are going to talk about prehistoric Taiwan and aboriginal culture.

 

Narrator: Before the large number of Han people moved to Taiwan in the 17th century, some local people were already active here.

 

Narrator: As there were no written records, we can call it "Prehistoric Taiwan".

 

Narrator: In Paleolithic culture, people at that time knew how to use fire. 

 

Narrator: They make a living mainly on gathering, fishing and hunting with stone tools.

 

Narrator: Please go to other places to play, little girl!

 

Narrator: There are four important characteristics of the Neolithic Age, including polishing stone tools, fired pottery, raising livestock and the emergence of agriculture.

 

Narrator: Since then, the degree of human dependence on nature has gradually decreased.

 

Girl: Excuse me! I went to the wrong place~

 

Narrator: At the time of the metal age, people had begun to use iron tools and had trade relations with other regions.

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Narrator: Where is this place? I want to go home!

 

Narrator: The indigenous people of Taiwan belong to the Austronesian family.

 

Narrator: The distribution of Austronesian is on archipelago of the Pacific and Indian Oceans

 

Narrator: Taiwan is located at the northernmost point in the geographical distribution of Austronesian.

 

Girl:Anyway, since we are here, let us stay and enjoy it. 

 

Narrator: Most Taiwanese Plains Indigenous peoples are matrilineal society and women would inherit the family business.

 

Narrator: They are responsible for all important housework at home.

 

Narrator: Both men and women must strictly adhere to monogamy and introduce a marriage system for men to be married to women

 

Narrator: It means that after marriage, the man must live in the woman’s home and become a member of the woman's family.

 

Narrator: The woman calls the man "holding hands" (honey)

 

Narrator: Gaoshan people generally live in the mountains, on the plain or in the islands.

 

Narrator: Because they were late in contact with the Han people, a lot of the original culture is still preserved.

 

Narrator: Some of the organizations of the Gaoshan are aristocratic societies and the land is owned by nobles such as Paiwan and Rukai.

 

Narrator: Dawu living in Lanyu have no obvious class system but a fishing group organization.

 

Narrator: People built boats, netted fish, and evenly divided the catch.

 

Narrator: The main economic activities of the indigenous people are shifting farming, fishing and hunting.

 

Narrator: Women of the Taiwanese Plains Indigenous Peoples usually farm the land.

 

Narrator: They plant rice imported from China in the later stage.

 

Narrator: Men are responsible for hunting, especially the deer hunting.

 

Narrator: The Taiwanese Plains Indigenous Peoples call hunting deer as "grassing".

 

Narrator: Usually the wizard is responsible for communicating with the ancestor spirit.

 

Narrator: The ancestral spirits are considered influential in local people’s fortune; therefore, it is most respected by the aboriginals.

 

Narrator: Early indigenous people thanked the Gods and prayed for a good harvest through festivals.

 

Narrator: Take Puyuma Monkey Festival of adult ceremony for example.

 

Narrator: Teenagers in the juvenile club carefully raise monkeys.

 

Narrator: On Thorn Monkey Day, they take monkey as an imaginary enemy, stab it with a weapon made by themselves, and then carefully sacrifice the monkey spirit.

 

Narrator: In recent years, because of the concept of conservation, the monkey has been replaced by a straw weave.

 

Narrator: The tattooed face of the Atayal tribe, is called " tattoo face "

 

Narrator: It represents adulthood, beauty, avoiding evil and the good weaving of women as well as bravery of men.

 

Narrator: It is also a symbol of the Atayal people's recognition of their ancestors after death

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Narrator: Men are eligible for tattoos if he hunts a human head, a deer, a barking deer, or a wild boar.

 

Narrator: Whereas, if women are good at spinning and weaving, they can get tattoo.

 

Narrator: End of the tour

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Girl: I am back.