Part two of our four-part guide to Taiwan's remarkable indigenous peoples
Atayal
Rather than representing a single tribe, the Atayal is a complicated group of people that do not share a single language, culture or ethnicity. The Atayal group is divided into the Atayal and Seediq subgroups. Geographically, the two subgroups are divided by a line formed by the Beigang River and Heping River in Nantou County, with the Atayal sub-tribe living mostly north of the line and the Seediq to the south. Face tattooing is the most representative cultural practice of the Atayal people. Face tattoos are used to distinguish the Atayal from other tribes as well as to mark an Atayal's achievements.
A newborn Atayal would have his or her forehead tattooed, signifying that he or she is a human being. Further tattoos are added when Atayals come of age and after tribal elders accredit their skills (hunting for males and weaving or farming for females). The Atayals are famed for their fabric weaving, which features sophisticated patterns and designs. Traditional Atayal attire is mainly red in hue, as the color represents blood and the vitality of life.
Bunun
Unlike the Amis, Bunun society is patriarchal. Typical Bunun families are large and can include people who are not blood relatives. Millet growing is an important part of life for the Bunun. The Bunun calendar is arranged in accordance with the stages of growth of the crop. The Bunun celebrate the "millet sowing festival" around November and December (the precise date is determined by the millet life cycle and is therefore based on a lunar calendar system). During the festival, Bunun males gather and sing the "Praying for a Millet Harvest" song, which is a solemn appeal to a deity for a good harvest. The song begins with a four-part harmony and reaches an extraordinary eight-part harmony — called the "heavenly harmony" — when the pitch gets high. The Bunun believe that the quality of their singing of the "Praying for a Millet Harvest" song has a direct impact on their harvest.
Tsou
The Tsou are divided into the "Southern Tsou" (located mainly in Kaohsiung) and "Northern Tsou" (Alishan), based on language and origin myths. The tribe is strictly patriarchal and is comprised of well-organized clans. All affairs are decided in a men-only house, which is called the "Kuba." While wine plays a key role in their rituals, the Tsou only brew wine (using millet, rice and sweet potatoes) during important occasions such as weddings, funerals or major festivals. Moreover, not every Tsou person can partake in wine drinking during feasts; that right is often reserved for the elders of the tribe. The Tsou are famous for the variety of their leather attire and their leatherworking skills.
Rukai
To accommodate the sultry weather in the low mountain areas in South Taiwan where they live, the Rukai build their homes with stone plates that cool their indoor quarters in summer. The Rukai origin myth centers around the Formosan clouded leopard. According to legend, the ancestors of the Rukai arrived in Taiwan via the Taitung shore and settled on Kindoor Mountain at the southern end of the Central Mountain Range. Later, some of the Rukai ancestors followed the guidance of a clouded leopard and an eagle and moved to Jiuhaocha in Pingtung, the ancestral home of the Rukai. The two animals are therefore considered sacred by the Rukai and hunting them is forbidden.
The Rukai society upholds a two-class hierarchy: the nobles and the commoners. The lily is also an important part of the Rukai origin myth and is therefore a symbol of holiness in Rukai culture. Only males with extraordinary achievements or demonstrations of valor — such as hunting more than five wild boars — can earn the right to wear lilies.
~宏浩翻譯引用~
資料來源：http://www.chinapost.com.tw/guidepost/topics/default.asp?id=4259&next=1&sub=6
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