Pigeon Peas in Pingtung

The island that we know as Taiwan has an ancient history of human settlement spanning almost 30,000 years. While the first inhabitants of the island are genetically different from the current inhabitants, the island’s various indigenous groups have a 4,000-year long history on the island.

One of these groups who still have a prominent presence in Taiwan is the Paiwan, the third-largest indigenous tribe in Taiwan after the Ami and Bunun tribes. The Paiwan have a population of around 69,000 and live mainly in the southern chain of the Central Range, from Damumu Mountain and the upper Quluo River in the north to the Hengchun Peninsula in the south, as well as the coastal plains and hills of southeastern Taiwan, with a strong community in Pingtung County.

In the past, the Paiwan had a fierce reputation of being headhunters, displaying the severed heads of their enemies in a sacrificial rite with wine and other offerings. Paiwan society has changed with the influence of Christianity from the Dutch, and Japanese and Chinese traditions, yet still maintains distinct cultural traditions.

Ghosts and gods both good and evil exist throughout Paiwan religion, and the spiritual world exists in the same space and time as the human world. Because of this, strict religious rules apply to Paiwan society, punishable by disease or injury if broken. The Paiwan relate all physical and spiritual misfortune to supernatural forces, so their culture is embedded with spiritual rituals, sorcerers and witchcraft.

Among all Paiwan Festivals, perhaps the most famous is the Five-Year Festival. As part of the festival, weather-related rituals such as rain- and sun-praying, wind- and thunder-stopping, agricultural rituals amongst others are held once every five years to worship and thank gods and ancestors. All eight towns in Pingtung County take part in this ancestor worship, a practice that was traditionally held by the chief. Today the festival is held by the town government, and is celebrated by all religions within the Paiwan community.

The Paiwan people are well known throughout Taiwan for their fascinating traditional arts and handicrafts, that include delicate embroidery, wood, stone, bamboo and bone carving, tattoos and weaving. Artistic decoration on the body and in the home is typically used to signify social status and class, with a balance between art and the social hierarchy.

Lead-glass beaded jewellery has been an important part of the culture of the Paiwan Tribe from the south of the island, representing social status and position, and serving as wedding gifts to provide protection against evil spirits. Once in danger of becoming a lost tradition when beads and handicrafts were stolen or sold to collectors, these beaded handicrafts today act as a way for the Paiwan people to preserve their culture as well as to take advantage of the increase of tourism to the island.

You can watch the beads being produced and purchase or order custom-made jewellery at the Sandiman Bead Workshop in Sandi Village, started by Paiwan artist Umass Zingrur. To get here, take Highway number 24 all the way to Wutai Village. You will need a mountain permit to enter, which can be easily obtained at a local police station in Pingtung.

Away from the regions high mountains off Provincial Highway Number 26 lies the sleepy Mudan Township, once known as the ‘botanical garden’ of Taiwan for its colourful fields of wild flowers. Located on the outskirts of Taiwan’s oldest national park, the Kenting National Park, there are six Paiwan villages in the Mudan Township, each known for a specific characteristic.

Head down a 300 metre little known trail, and you’ll reach the ruins of stone houses with strangely low doorways and arches of a village whose residents were reputedly short. Another great spot to visit is the Jiade Gorge Indigenous Plant Educational Park, where traditional plants used by the Paiwan people are cultivated. Here you can purchase handmade soap made from the plants and from hot-spring waters from the same area.

No visit to the Pingtung region is complete without treating yourself to the local food, whether from street stalls or in restaurants. Major foods of the Paiwan are millet, taro, peanuts, pigeon peas and sweet potatoes. Hunting and fishing are still popular activities, but the Paiwan are no longer economically dependent on them.

To get to Pingtung County, take the train from Tainan or Kaohsiung, connecting to the Kaohsiung International Airport. You can also connect to the TRA train from the High Speed Rail Station at Zuoying. Pingtung also has a regional airport with three flights a week to Taiwan SanShan airport. Bus and taxi service is available in Pingtung, but most people opt to travel by scooter or bicycle.