The Yami people are more respectfully referred to as the Tao people. The Tao populace has fought for years to reclaim its original name in place of the name given to it by foreign anthropologists.

The Tao people are a Taiwanese aboriginal peoples native to the tiny outlying Orchid Island of Taiwan. These indigenous peoples have been more commonly recognized as the Yami people, following a Japanese anthropologist's coining of the name. However, as a collective, these Orchid Island inhabitants typically prefer Tao people as their group identifier. They are part of the Austronesian family, and designated members of the Taiwanese aborigines. Despite being linked to both Taiwan and the Philippine's indigenous populations, the Tao people remain quite unique in their customs and cultural practices.

Composed of approximately 3,100 individuals, the island populace relies heavily on fishing for survival.^[1] The Tao people's emphasis on fishing and ocean culture reflects their intense connection to the sea as being about much more than survival; they use fishing and the building of boats as an extension of themselves, and as a way to honor their spiritual beliefs. Their ways of life have been threatened by the continued emigration to the mainland of Taiwan in search of jobs and education. As a result, the continuation of past traditions has been hindered.

In addition to threatened cultural practices, the Tao people have been advocating for the removal of the nuclear waste plant imposed on their land by the Taiwanese government in 1982.^[2] Due to growing health concerns and the mutation of their fish, the Tao people have worked to establish a clear governmental division between themselves and the Taiwanese government.

Etymology

The word "Tao" simply means "people" in the language of the Tao people.^[3] The word Yami originated from Japanese ethnologist Torii Ryūzō. He used the term to refer to the culture and language of the Tao People.^[4] It was retained during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan through to today. In recent years, the Tao people have rejected the outsourced name. After the dismantling of Martial Law, in an attempt to regain an ethnic self-identity, these islanders began to identify their collective by the name Tao. While this indigenous group identifies collectively by the name Tao, individual communities on the island affiliate with unique names tied to their locality.^[5]

Language

The language of the Tao people can be referred to simply as Tao or Yami. It is a Malayo-Polynesian language, a subgroup of Austronesian languages. More specifically, it is considered a Western Malayo-Polynesian language, one of two primary branches in the Austronesian subgroup—the other being Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian. As of 1994, there were a total of 3,000 speakers, and 3,255 individuals deemed ethnically Yami.^[6]

Geography

Orchid Island, also referred to as Lanyu or Pongso no Tao (Island of the People), is located approximately 40 miles off the southeastern coast of Taiwan, and due directly north of the Batanes Islands of the Philippines.^[4] It is a small island of about 45 square kilometers. It was originally referred to as Hongtou Island (Red Head Island), however Hongtou in Mandarin sounds similar to the pronunciation of hongchong which means red bug. As a result, most government workers refused to work on the island, so Taitung County renamed it to Orchid Island. There are very few plains on the island, instead its geography is composed of steep mountains and hilly terrain. Most villages are located at mountain bases, because river run-off is considered an ample source of fresh water.^[4]

Culture

Ritual and Religion

The Tao people lack a well-developed religion. Their beliefs in the divine include a mixture of Christian denominations, and an ardent fear in the demonic. Their ancient religious system consisted of several layers each host to a variety of gods and spirits. The first layer is home to the main god, Simo-Rapao, who oversees all other gods. According to Tao mythology, he created the Earth's first two individuals from a piece of rock, and a piece of bamboo. He doles out punishment, and is responsible for all natural calamities that affect the island. Sio-Mima is native of the second layer of the Tao cosmogony. He is believed to control the rest of the world, deemed dominated by white people. The third level is home to Si-Toriao and Si-Lovolovoin. Si Toriao allegedly controls the rain and lightning, while Si-Lovolovoin serves as a messenger to all of the gods. In the final layer of their ancient religious belief system resides the malevolent gods who may punish the Tao peoples with invasions of caterpillars and locusts.^[7]

While their ancient religious system was based on the dictation of gods, these deities are rarely mentioned in their daily lives. However, while many of the Tao people have converted to Christianity (especially branches of Catholicism and Protestantism), they are still haunted by their ancient religious faith. They especially fear anito, the collection of evil spirits, even more than they worship an omnipotent God.^[8] They believe that when an individual passes away, his or her soul travels to Malavang a Pongso, the White Island, while the rest of the minor souls from within become anito. As a result of this belief, they have an uncontrollable fear of the dead.^[7]

The Tao people believe that goddesses are responsible for the birth of their children. According to their lore, there are separate goddesses for each gender. These goddesses dictate the births and lifetimes of the Tao populace. The length of an individual's life is determined by cracking a coconut and the measurement of the outpouring juice. There is no specific ceremony for the entrance into adulthood. A boy is considered an adult when he reaches the ages of 18 or 19, while a girl is considered an adult when she turns 16 or 17.^[8]

A Tao man is deemed eligible for marriage when he participates in a fishing team, and can accomplish his fishing duties on his own. For women, they have to be proficient at taro cultivation and fabric weaving. Once the two parties are of marrying capabilities, relatives of both families formally propose to the woman's parents through the giving of presents. If her parents accept these offerings, they equivocally accept the proposal.^[8]

When a Tao individual is near death, relatives and friends stand beside his or her deathbed in full battle regalia in order to fight off evil spirits. Once the funeral has commenced, attendees catch crab and fish to be cooked and eaten on that day in remembrance of the deceased.^[8]

Fishing

The Tao peoples divide their year into three separate fishing seasons: rayon, teyteyka, and amyan. Rayon is equivalent to spring, and spans from February to May. This is considered to be flying fish season, during which the men catch fish for ceremonial use. Teyteyka lasts from June to October, and signifies the end of the period of time in which flying fish can be caught on the surface. Finally, the amyan season signifies the time of year spent waiting for the flying fish to return. This season lasts from November to January. During the latter two seasons, fish cannot be caught for ceremonial use.^[9] During these off seasons, the Tao people are charged with producing goods and recreation. Fishing is the main way in which Tao men can make a living on the island.^[4]

Fishing Boats and Ceremony

A crucial component of Tao life centers upon the building of their fishing boats. As a device used for their sole method of securing sustenance and monetary gain, they place great emphasis on the production of these boats. They make their boats using multiple wooden planks shaped with an ax. Due to their boats not being made from a single tree trunk or log, they cannot be considered canoes. They join the wooden planks together with dowels and rattan. Once they have successfully constructed the boat, they carve patterns and paint them using the traditional red, white, and black. They then adorn the bow and stern of the boat with chicken feather decorations. The hull of the boat typically consists of three main patterns: human figure, eye of the boat, and waves. The human figure symbolizes heroism through the representation of the earliest Tao man. They eye of the boat consists of a variety of concentric circles edged with triangles. Their composition represents the sun's rays, and is considered to ward off evil spirits that may cause disasters at sea.^[9] They typically make boats to seat 1-3 people, 6 people, 8 people, or 10 people. However, no matter the size of the boat, the shape remains consistent.^[8] The bow and the stern of the boat are both steep, upward arcs that allow for stability and sharp turns. They consider a boat an extension of man's body, and thus boat building is deemed a sacred mission. For the Tao, boat building is the ultimate creation of beauty.^[4]

Once the building of the boat is completed, the boat's owner will host a large launching ceremony. To celebrate, Tao women wear their agate beads necklaces and octagonal wooden hats a few days prior to the actual event. On the actual day of the launching ceremony, the Tao people gather and slaughter pigs as sacrifice, and the boat owner offers meat and taro to all of his tribe's families. The men, dressed in traditional garb, circle the launching boat performing ceremonial rituals to ward off evil spirits before sending it into the water. They also throw the boat in the air several times prior to launch. The ceremony is deemed complete once the boat has remained afloat.^[9]

Attire and Dress

Traditional Tao garb consists of simple, uni-colored fabrics made of natural plant fibers.^[8] Due to the nature of their fishing asks, men typically only wear a loincloth and collarless vest. This also helps them to better cope with the stifling heat. Women's dress typically consists of a cloth or short vest to cover their upper body, and an apron-like cloth to cover parts of their lower body. For special or ceremonial occasions, men and women wear blue and white vests in addition to vibrant accessories, such as an octagonal wooden hat for women, ad silver helmets for men. During funerals and times of mourning, women wear their upper garments inside out, and men wear a piece of cloth, reverse side out, on their heads. It is also considered taboo to wear clothing with an odd number of blue or black stripes. Therefore, clothing patterns typically consist of 8 to 12 stripes.^[9] Neither in ritualistic or everyday situations do the Tao people wear shoes.^[8]

Diet

The Tao peoples' production methods are divided into two primary categories: agriculture and fishing. Due to taro's ability to grow in a wide array of climates, it is a vital part of the Tao diet. The Tao people plant taro on the narrow coastal plains, and thus their diet consists of wetland taro and taro sweet potatoes. Their food is divided into two groups: kanen and yakan. Kanen is considered an entree similar to rice, while yakan is deemed a side dish. Women are charged the task of collecting and cooking the kanen, while men are supposed to search for the yakan.^[4]

A crucial aspect of the Tao daily diet is seafood. While men are primarily charged with fishing duties, women are responsible for gathering shells, seaweed, and smaller fish from holes along the shore. The men practice both spear and net fishing as means for sustenance. All fish is categorized as either rahed or oyod. Rahed fish is deemed bad, and thus only eaten by the men. While the oyod fish is considered the real fish and can be eaten by both men and women.^[7]

Government Relations

Due to Orchid Island being off the coast of Taiwan, the Taiwanese government does not have the resources to satisfactorily supply it with a stable infrastructure of effective transportation, standardized health care and mandated education. Despite early efforts to assimilate the Tao people into mainstream Taiwanese society, the Taiwanese government has pledged to perpetuate Tao traditions, and their Council of Indigenous Peoples has raised its budget to help the thirteen recognized aboriginal groups of Taiwan.

Nuclear Waste

In 1982, Taipower, the Taiwan Power Company, completed construction on Orchid Island's storage plant facility.^[10] The facility houses waste from Taiwan's three operating nuclear power plants.^[10] Since its construction, the storage facility has been met with opposition. Due to language barriers, the Tao people were not aware that a nuclear storage facility was being erected on their island. During its construction, workers told the islanders that they were building a food cannery that would help the local economy.^[2] In 1987, when the Tao people finally learned the danger of nuclear waste, they began a protestation battle that has lasted more than twenty years. Since its erection, 98,700 barrels of waste have been deposited on the island.^[10] In the near three decades since the storage facility was constructed, reports have indicated that the number of incidences of cancer has increased, in addition to higher rates of mutated fish due to the increased radiation levels.^[10] As a result, the Tao people are working together to protest the continuation of waste dumping on their island as it negatively affects facets of their daily lives.

Taipower has since promised to remove all nuclear waste by 2016.