The History - ATAYAL - The worldwide voice of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan

The Origin of the Taiwanese Aborigines

There are currently two major theories concerning the origin of the Taiwanese aborigines. While the first theory proposes that the aborigines originated in some other area, the second asserts that Taiwan is the ancestral homeland of the Austronesian peoples. The first theory has found widespread acceptance, and its claim that the Austronesian peoples arose on the southeast coast of mainland China has support from linguistic, archeological, historical, and mythological evidence. Some scholars have even proposed a chronology for the arrival of the aboriginal tribes in Taiwan; for example, the Saisiat and Taiya tribes are thought to have arrived in Taiwan during the early ceramic period around. 3,000 B.C., whereas the Paiwan and Beinan tribes probably arrived during the heyday of the Megalithic culture of Southeast Asia. On the other hand, the theory that Taiwan was the cradle of the Austronesian languages is relatively new, and has found support from many linguists. Further research will be needed to determine which of these theories is correct.

Aboriginal Milestones

Click on the links below to browse through a timeline of historical milestones in the history of Taiwanese aboriginal culture:

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