- Saisiyat people
The Saisiyat (賽夏) ("true people"), also spelled Saisiat are an indigenous people of
Taiwan , part of the largerTaiwanese aborigine ethnic group. In the year 2000 the Saisiyat numbered 5,311. This was approximately 1.3% of Taiwan's total indigenous population. [Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (DGBAS). National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan). [http://eng.stat.gov.tw/public/Data/511114261371.rtf "Preliminary statistical analysis report of 2000 Population and Housing Census"] Excerpted from Table 28:Indigenous population distribution in Taiwan-Fukien Area. Accessed PM 8/30/06] Currently, there are around 5,000 members of the Saisiyat, making them one of the smallest aboriginal groups in Taiwan. The Saisiyat inhabit western Taiwan, overlapping the border betweenHsinchu County andMiaoli County . They are divided into the Northern Branch (Wufong in the mountainous Hsinchu area) and the Southern Branch (Nanya and Shitan in the highlands of Miaoli), each with its owndialect . Their language is also known as Saisiyat.Names
Saisiyat is sometimes rendered as Saiset, Seisirat, Saisett, Saisiat, Saisiett, Saisirat, Saisyet, Saisyett, Amutoura, or Bouiok.
References
External links
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6217502.stm BBC News: Taiwan's Saisiyat aborigines keep pas-ta'ai rituals alive]
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