Taipei Museum of Formosan Aborigines | 順益台灣原住民博物館

The indigenous peoples of Taiwan have a rich and colorful history that deserves to be showcased and highlighted. 

I made some time in April 2020 to visit the Taipei Museum of Formosan Aborigines, which is right beside the National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院. It's definitely worth the visit and you should check it out if you're in the area. Combo tickets for both museums are available for a cheaper price. 

As soon as you enter the museum you'll see a tatala (pictured above), a traditional boat commonly used by the Yami (also known as the Tao) indigenous group, who live on Orchid Island 蘭嶼. This group actually has one of the best preserved indigenous cultures in Taiwan as they lived on a separate island where they could better preserve their cultures. The designs on the boat depict waves, human figures, and the eye of the boat, representing sun rays that ward off evil spirits. During the Flying Fish Festival 飛魚季, only men are allowed to journey on the boat to catch fish, while women aren't allowed to go out to sea or be anywhere near the boat. 

There are a total of 3 floors filled with indigenous artifacts, clothing, and even recordings of unique instruments that are commonly used by different aboriginal groups across Taiwan. 

Even hair combs displayed had unique illustrations of indigenous lives and cultures.

Jewelry of different tribes usually had an important meaning to them. Necklaces from the Bunun tribe (pictured above) had colorful beads, while the Paiwan tribe have large metal earrings with intricate beadwork.

Check out this huge chest ornament I believe is from the Amis tribe. This can be worn by men or women from the tribe and is used to represent status. 

There were depictions of tribal housing units within different tribes. It was interesting to see how different tribes prefer to live. Some live in underground housing....

 ....while others live in houses made out of stone or straw.

There was an entire wall full of more popular Indigenous festivals, some of which have only been revived in the recent years. One that particularly stood out to me was the paSta'ay festival 矮靈祭, in which the Saysiyat tribe pray to paSta'ay to ensure that they have a good harvest. The story goes that Ta’ay people were short people that used to steal and disrespect women from the Saysiyat tribe. Men from the tribe were enraged and sought to seek revenge. As soon as they did, the entire tribe didn't see an harvest for an entire year as the Ta’ay people cursed the tribe. This is when they started worshiping paSta'ay once every two years to ensure a successful harvest. Interesting right? Hopefully I get to attend the festival one day.

Speaking on the subject, there was a tiny room dedicated to shamanism in Indigenous tribes. Mostly women were picked for their ability to communicate with the afterworld. They had potions and could apparently heal people. It's unique but a bit spooky. I would encourage anyone to check it out.

After spending an afternoon at the museum, you can stroll around the indigenous park which is right across the museum. With bridges and green grass, it depicts life at an indigenous village. When I went there it was quite peaceful, there weren't many people around. Feel free to roam around and take pictures.

You can easily catch a bus from Shilin MRT station and get to both the museum and park. 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @taiwanexplorer95 for more!