 Night Festival of the Siraya people | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Tainan City and Taitung county (Taiwan) | |
| Languages | |
| Siraya (formerly), Mandarin, Hokkien | |
| Religion | |
| Animism, Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Taiwanese Aborigines Especially Taivoans and Makatao |
The Siraya (Chinese: 西拉雅族; pinyin: Xīlāyǎ Zú) people are a Taiwanese indigenous people. The Siraya settled flat coastal plains in the southwest part of the island of Taiwan and corresponding sections of the east coast; the area is identified today with Tainan City and Taitung County. At least four communities make up the group: Mattauw, Soelangh, Baccloangh, and Sinckan. The first four communities correspond to the modern-day districts of Madou, Jiali, Shanhua, and Sinshih, respectively.
The Siraya are Plains indigenous peoples (Pingpu) — that is, occupants of flat coastal regions rather than mountain areas. Like other indigenous peoples of Taiwan they are ethnically and linguistically Austronesian. The name "Taiwan" (historically Taiouwang, 臺員 and other variants) originated from the Siraya language. The Austronesian language family from which Sirayan belongs includes some of the most spoken languages in the western Pacific particularly Bahasa Indonesia, Javanese, Tagalog (or standardized as Filipino), and Malay.[1]
Taivoan and Makatao used to be considered two communities of the Siraya but are now classified as independent indigenous peoples, based on the latest linguistic discoveries, cultural features, and the indigenous people's self-identification.
- ^ Crook, Steven (26 Sep 2008). "Taiwan Culture Portal - Pingpu tribe: We have not disappeared!". Culture.tw. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2013-01-23.