MAKATAO – 平埔族 (山脚人)

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THE MAKATAO PEOPLE – 平埔族 (山脚人)

• The Makatao Indigenous People (馬卡道族) are one of Taiwan’s Plains Indigenous (Pingpu) peoples, with deep historical roots in southern Taiwan, especially areas that today include Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung County—a region you’ve shown interest in before.
• The Makatao are an Austronesian Indigenous people who traditionally lived on the southwestern plains of Taiwan, long before large-scale Han Chinese settlement. Like other Pingpu groups, they experienced early and intense contact with outside powers.
  They are culturally and linguistically related to neighboring plains groups such as the Siraya and Taivoan, and many scholars consider these peoples part of a broader Siraya cultural sphere.
• Historically, Makatao villages were concentrated in:
  Southern Tainan
  Northern and central Kaohsiung
  Western and southern Pingtung County
  Their communities were typically located near rivers and fertile plains, supporting wet-rice agriculture and trade.
• The Makatao language belongs to the Siraya language group within the Austronesian family.
  It is no longer spoken fluently today, though:
  Word lists and prayers were recorded by Dutch missionaries in the 17th century
  Modern revitalization efforts draw on these historical records.
• Society and Culture
  Social Organization
  Villages were largely self-governing
  Leadership was often held by village elders or ritual specialists
  Society emphasized communal decision-making
  Beliefs and Spiritual Life
  The Makatao practiced animism, believing in:
  Ancestor spirits
  Nature spirits connected to land, rivers, and forests
  Ritual life included:
  Seasonal ceremonies
  Healing rituals
  Spirit-medium traditions
  Some Makatao rituals and beliefs closely resemble those of the Siraya, reflecting shared cultural heritage.
• History and Colonization
  Dutch Period (1624–1662)
  The Makatao were among the plains peoples encountered by the Dutch East India Company
  Some villages were Christianized, leaving written records of language and customs
  Qing Dynasty and Later
  Large-scale Han Chinese settlement led to:
  Loss of land
  Intermarriage
  Gradual assimilation
  Many Makatao people adopted Han surnames and customs but retained Indigenous identity in family memory and ritual practice
• Modern Status and Recognition
  The Makatao are not officially recognized as one of Taiwan’s 16 nationally recognized Indigenous peoples
  They are generally classified as a Pingpu (Plains Indigenous) group
  However:
  Some local governments have offered local or cultural recognition
  Makatao cultural associations actively promote:
  Historical research
  Ritual revival
  Indigenous identity education
  Their situation is similar to other unrecognized plains groups such as the Siraya and Taivoan.
• Contemporary Identity
  Today, Makatao descendants can be found throughout southern Taiwan, especially in Kaohsiung and Pingtung. Many people:
  Identify as both Han Chinese and Indigenous
  Are participating in movements for:
  Official recognition
  Cultural revitalization
• wikipedia.org – Makatao people – 平埔族 (山脚人) @ Wikipedia . org
• wikipedia.org – 馬卡道族 – The Makato Tribe @ Wikipedia . org (Chinese)
• wikipedia.org – Jiaruipu Temple – 加蚋埔公廨 @ Wikipedia . org
• wikipedia.org – 馬卡道語 – Makadao language @ Wikipedia . org (Chinese)
• wikipedia.org – The Plains Indigenous Peoples – 平埔族群 @ Wikipedia . org
• insight.ipcf.org.tw – “The Diverse & Vivacious Makatao People” @ Indigenous Insight e-zine (published by the Indigenous People Cultural Foundation, Taipei).
• taiwaninsight.org – “Unrecognised Indigenous Groups of Taiwan and their Struggle for Language Revival” @ Taiwan Insight e-zine (an online magazine of The Taiwan Research Hub, a research centre based at the University of Nottingham (U.K.) focusing on contemporary Taiwan). 
• twreporter.org – 馬卡道在哪裡？沿山公路的平埔族群認同之旅 – Where is Makadao? A journey of identity for the Pingpu people along the mountain road @ The Reporter (an online media outlet established by the Reporter Cultural Foundation)
• youtube.com – Matriarchal Past of Taiwan’s Makatao Indigenous People @ Youtube . com
• youtube.com – 馬卡道在哪裡 – Where is Makato? @ Youtube . com
• https://www.taiwanplus.com/news/taiwan-news/indigenous-issues/230215012/matriarchal-past-of-taiwans-makatao-indigenous-people
• https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20110930-tribal-culture-survives-in-taiwan
• https://iwgia.org/en/taiwan.html
• https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/inspiration/indigenous-taiwan/
• https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/image-licensing/makatao
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/1/9/always-campaign-time-why-taiwans-indigenous-people-back-kmt
• https://taiwaninsight.org/2022/01/03/unpacking-the-colonialist-undertones-of-the-indigenous-peoples-basic-law-law-as-a-tool-of-oppression-in-taiwan/
• https://taiwaneverything.cc/2020/10/12/indigenous-tribes/
• https://oftaiwan.org/taiwan-101/taiwan-indigenous-people/
• https://thechinaproject.com/2023/06/05/taiwans-unrecognized-indigenous-tribes-are-reviving-dead-languages-to-achieve-recognition/
• https://taiwaninsight.org/2022/10/17/taiwanese-mountains-and-plains-indigenous-peoples-facing-different-trials-yet-the-same-fate/
• https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240125-a-vibrant-celebration-of-taiwans-little-known-original-inhabitants
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzarqBrOnP0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud-njEtg3Pk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVca_CEtsSk
• https://www.taiwanplus.com/news/taiwan-news/indigenous-issues/230215012/matriarchal-past-of-taiwans-makatao-indigenous-people
• https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=ac54e183-6148-4e79-bef5-c4d6734835f9&CatId=11&postname=From%20the%20Streets%20to%20the%20Villages–The%20Indigenous%20Peoples%27%20Movement%20Turns%2020&srsltid=AfmBOoppf8HEQvXzPST_5I-KuPC1LfzKOI7ySUwUDEeatFx7__DQRj9-
• https://jacobin.com/2022/09/indigenous-taiwanese-paiwan-national-assembly-organizing
• https://dtaic.npust.edu.tw/en/speech-the-makatao-story-the-cultural-survival-of-a-borderland-indigenous-people-in-pingtung/
• https://www.taiwanobsessed.com/taiwanese-aboriginal-culture/
• https://www.bradtguides.com/exploring-taiwans-indigenous-communities/
• https://taiwantoday.tw/AMP/culture/taiwan-review/133274/indigenous-empowerment
• https://kaiwakiloumoku.ksbe.edu/taiwan-learn-more-about
• https://bambangpriantono.wordpress.com/2021/02/04/2021-work-taiwanese-indigenous-people/
• https://www.taiwanplus.com/news/taiwan-news/indigenous-issues/230215012/matriarchal-past-of-taiwans-makatao-indigenous-people
• https://oftaiwan.org/taiwan-101/taiwan-indigenous-people/
• https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2013/02/23/2003555482
• https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/06/27/2003593792
• https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/10/16/2003724033
• https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/02/18/2003794585
• https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/11/09/2003826630
• https://www.politico.eu/article/taiwans-indigenous-tribes-could-hold-the-key-to-its-independence/
• https://qz.com/1518787/taiwans-indigenous-people-remind-xi-jinping-it-has-never-belonged-to-china
• https://international.thenewslens.com/article/111667
• https://www.taiwanobsessed.com/taiwanese-aboriginal-culture/
• https://jsis.washington.edu/taiwan/2025/10/22/from-reconciliation-to-action-taiwans-pathway-to-indigenous-educational-sovereignty/
• https://lifeoftaiwan.com/about-taiwan/people/
• https://taiwaneverything.cc/2020/10/12/indigenous-tribes/

• EASY SEARCH FOR MORE LINKS ! . . . . .

• scholar.google.com – The Makatao People – 平埔族 (山脚人) @ Google Scholar
• youtube.com – The Makatao People – 平埔族 (山脚人) @ You Tube . com
• images.google.com – The Makatao People – 平埔族 (山脚人) @ Google Images

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