Taiwan Aboriginal Boats on Lanyu Island and links with Pacific Voyaging

More Taiwan Boats.

People may or may not be aware that Taiwan has its own aboriginal people belonging to quite distinct groups.

Some lived inland, but others were coastal and some live on the smaller islands around Taiwan. Their culture is distinct from the prevailing Chinese culture.

There were rumours that the people were headhunters … but it turned out that they kept the skulls of ancestors inside the main part of the village … watching? Protecting?

Slideshow – Taiwan launching the boat with ceremony and feasting here on LanYu Island

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LanYu Island is just under 40km to the East of the Southern end of Taiwan.

Anyway my web acquaintance, Mao, her husband Kevin and their friends, travel all over Taiwan and she takes wonderful photos. She and her friends go kayaking, hiking and are very outdoorsy.

The construction details of Lanyu Island Boats link to the Pacific Voyagers

Now it is well established that the Pacific was settled over around 1500 years by the original people from Taiwan and the North of the Philippines.

I had suspicions when I saw this photo.

The picture above shows how the boats are partially stitched together.

This is a more detailed look at the DNA evidence that Taiwan was the source for the population of the Pacific. Later followed by Austronesians from the New Guinea area when settlement was already established.

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