Paiwan people
Kacalisian | |
|---|---|
Paiwan musician playing a bamboo nose flute. | |
| Total population | |
| 104,555 (Nov 2021) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Taiwan | |
| Languages | |
| Paiwan, Taiwanese, Mandarin | |
| Religion | |
| Animism, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Malayo-Polynesians, Taiwanese indigenous peoples |
The Paiwan (Paiwan: Kacalisian) are an indigenous people of Taiwan. They speak the Paiwan language. In 2014, the Paiwan numbered 96,334. This was approximately 17.8% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the second-largest indigenous group.
The majority of Paiwan people live in the southern chain of the Central Mountain Range, from Damumu Mountain and the upper Wuluo River in the north of the southern chain to the Hengchun Peninsula in the south of it, and also in the hills and coastal plains of southeastern Taiwan. There are two subgroups under the Paiwan people: the Ravar and the Vuculj.
The unique ceremonies in Paiwan are Masalut and Maljeveq. The Masalut is a ceremony that celebrates the harvest of rice, whereas the Maljeveq commemorates their ancestors or gods.