Research on Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples

Author: Zhang Chonggen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-03-01
Features: This book is an academic work on the ancient and modern ethnic groups of Taiwan, including its minority ethnic groups and Han Chinese. The chapter on "Modern Ethnic Groups" covers topics such as the evolution of the names of Taiwan's indigenous peoples, the fact that they are not a single ethnic group, ethnic classification, traditional social organizations, economic forms, myths and legends, traditional culture, handicrafts, marriage and reproduction, and traditional customs. Some of the academic viewpoints in the book hold certain value in Taiwan studies both domestically and internationally. The contributions of this collection to academia mainly include the following three points:
1. Through the collation and annotation of Shen Ying's work "Lingshui Shituzhi" from the Three Kingdoms period, a comparative study was conducted between the Yizhou people (Shanyi) and the Pingbo ethnic group, proposing the opinion that the Yizhou people were the ancestors of the Pingbo ethnic group.
2. The original text of Zhou Ying's Ming Dynasty work "Dongfan Ji" (Ode) was discovered, and discussions were held on the geographical scope of Dongfan and the ethnic affiliation of the Dongfan people, proposing the view that "Dongfan" primarily refers to the southwest coast of Taiwan proper, and that the "Dongpan Yi people" are part of the Pingbo ethnic group.
3. It was argued that Taiwan's indigenous minority ethnic groups are not a single ethnic group but rather several communities within them, where "clans, phratries, and tribes still maintain their complete independence," similar to the "ancient peoples" proposed by Engels, and also resemble some ethnic groups in mainland China that were originally in the late primitive society.