Namasia 那瑪夏區 | |
|---|---|
| Namasia District[1] | |
 Maya Village | |
 高雄市那瑪夏區公所 Namasia District Office, Kaohsiung City | |
 Namasia District in Kaohsiung City | |
| Coordinates:23°16′18″N120°43′33″E / 23.271627°N 120.725906°E /23.271627; 120.725906 | |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Municipality | Kaohsiung City |
| Boroughs | List
|
| Government | |
| • Type | District government |
| • District chief | Payan Islituan (Ind.) |
| Population (October 2023) | |
• Total | 3,165 |
| Website | namasia-en |
Namasia District[1][2][3][4][5][6] (Kanakanavu language,Bunun language:Namasia;Chinese:那瑪夏區;Hanyu Pinyin:Nàmǎxià Qū;Tongyong Pinyin:Nàmǎsià Cyu;Wade–Giles:Na4-ma3-hsia4 Ch'ü1), formerlySanmin Township (三民鄉;Sānmín Xiāng), is amountain indigenous district located in the northeastern part ofKaohsiung,Taiwan. It is the second largest district in Kaohsiung afterTaoyuan District.
The population of the township is mainly theindigenousBunun,Kanakanavu andSaaroa peoples. The modern-day population of the Kanakanavu people live in the two villages of Manga and Takanua.[7]
On 1 January 2008, the then-township (which then was a part ofKaohsiung County) was renamed from Sanmin to Namasia, as the name of Sanmin (taken from theSun Yat-sen'sThree Principles of the People), was considered an overly political name. Rather, the name Namasia was chosen, as it is the name of a local river in theTsou language, while its meaning is "better and better" in theBunun language.[8]
During theperiod of Japanese rule, Namasia was grouped withMaolin District andTaoyuan District and classified as "Aboriginal Areas" (蕃地), which was governed under Kizan District ofTakao Prefecture.
The lowest point in theQishan River valley is 430 meters above sea level; the highest is the peak of Mount Xinwangling (新望嶺), at 2,481 meters. The four main settlements upriver are Nangisalu (南沙魯), Maya (瑪雅), and Takanua (達卡努瓦) 1 & 2.
There is plentiful wildlife: 29 mammal species, 97 bird species, 30 types of reptile, 16 amphibians, and 18 fishes. There are also 89 butterfly species.
Namasia District is divided into threevillages:
| Namasia District administrative divisions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Takanua Village Maya Village Nangisalu Village |
On 29 November 2014,Dahu Istanda ofTaiwan First Nations Party[10] waselected the first ever District Magistrate of Namasia.On 24 November 2018, Payan Islituan waselected the District Magistrate of Namasia.
Namasia District：
Welcome to Namasia District . Just follow Tai 21 Expressway northbound, you will come right into Namasia. {...}From the beautiful mountains and rivers, we sincerely invite you to witness and experience the tribal myths and the beauty of Namasia.{...}Address： No.1, Anshan Ln., Namasia District, Kaohsiung City 849, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
This April, Kaohsiung's Namasia District enjoyed perhaps its largest-ever influx of visitors when firefly-chasing tourists made the most of a four-day weekend.
RJM: Yes, but they were renamed in 2008. Minzu has become Nangisalu, Mingchuan has become Maya and Mingshen 1 and 2 has become Dakanua. Previously they were considered very KMT so they wanted something a little less political, so they've reverted to aboriginal names. My wife voted. They gave her a free teapot for voting. It used to be considered Sanming County, now it's Namasia District. That changed as well.
Long ago, poor transportation infrastructure in Kaohsiung's mountainous districts meant that those traveling between central Jiasian and what are now Taoyuan and Namasia districts often had to spend a night in Jiasian.
那瑪夏區 Namasia District 252.9895 850 3,146 1,614 1,532 105.35 3.70 12
| Highland indigenous Townships and Districts |
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| Plains indigenous Townships and County-Administered Cities |
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Note: On the map, "Mountain Indigenous Areas" are in dark green and "Plains Indigenous Areas" are in light green. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
