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The Formosan aborigines formerly inhabited the champaign districts of the island, but towards the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), they began to be forced to retreat into the mountains by the ever-increasing immigrants from China, and now they dwell far up in the mountain fastnesses, out of the reach of lowlanders. Most of them lead primitive lives, untouched by the light of modern civilization. The only savages still inhabiting the plains are known as Pepo-huan (平捕藩) —Level Plain Dwellers—, living on the eastern coast of the island, and generally engaged in husbandry and kindred occupations. These are the only ones on whom public taxes are imposed, as will presently be seen.

Ethnologically, the Formosan savages are supposed to belong to the Malay race, as do the aboriginal inhabitants of the South Sea Islands, and their physical characteristics, customs, and manners are quite different from those of the Hans, who have immigrated from the continent of China.

They are sometimes classified into two races, a northern and a southern, but this is merely geographical. If divided on the basis of differences in such things as character and customs, they may be classified into seven groups. They seem to have come across the sea from the south, centuries ago, and settled in separate groups, each of which has developed into one of the present tribes. The members of each tribe, no matter how widely separated, observe the same festivals and religious rites in their proper seasons, and always combine for offence.

The names of the seven tribes are the Taiyal, Saisett, Bunun, Tsuou, Paiwan, Ami and Yami. These are distributed in 719 villages, comprising 22,568 families, with total population of 134,420, the distribution of which may be seen from the following table:— 1