Makatao, Tao | |
|---|---|
 Makatao man and woman in Chinese painting. | |
| Total population | |
| More than 20,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Pingtung,Taitung inTaiwan | |
| Languages | |
| Makatao,Paiwan (historical and native) Mandarin,Taiwanese (dominant) | |
| Religion | |
| Animism,Taoism,Buddhism,Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Siraya,Taivoan and otherTaiwanese Aborigines |
TheMakatao people (Makatao: Makatau;Paiwan: Ljacalisian), also writtenMakatau orMakattau, are anindigenous people native toTaiwan. The Makatao originally settled around lowlandKaohsiung inSouthern Taiwan, later largely migrating toPingtung and even further toTaitung in the early 19th century due to the influx of Chinese immigrants.
The indigenous people allegedly historically called themselvesTau orMakatao[1] according to Japanese anthropologist,Inō Kanori, around the early 20th century, but other researchers considered them to be part of theSiraya or their language as part ofSirayaic fromTainan toKaohsiung toPingtung County. Presently, the Makatao people living across the lowland plains of Pingtung County do not know or no longer know anymore the original meaning of this name,"Makatao", and no one recalls any ancestor calling themselves"Makatao", but nevertheless this formal respectful collective name for the community is accepted within the community, but normally, Makatao villagers of thePingtung plain refer to themselves inTaiwanese HokkienChinese:山脚人;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:soaⁿ-kha-lâng;lit. 'people living at the foot of the mountain' or inTaiwanese MandarinChinese:平埔族;pinyin:Píngpǔzú;lit. 'plains tribe'.[2]
In November 2024, a representative of the Makatao people submitted a formal request to the Council of Indigenous Peoples for official recognition.[3]
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| Immigrants and expatriates |
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