Taiwan Aboriginal Peoples - Western Lowland Group



Saisiat. The 2,800 (in 1966) Saisiat live in the coastal cities of Miaoli and Hsinchu in northwestern Taiwan. Their culture has been greatly affected by their contact with the Atayal and the Han.

The patrilineal Saisiat are organized into seventeen exogamous sibs, which now bear Chinese names. Governmental pressure and the introduction of wet rice have weakened the sib ownership of land in favor of private ownership.

Sister exchange was the preferred marriage pattern, although in some cases bride-service was practiced.

Villages were composed of localized sib segments. Although villages were autonomous, they did cooperate for defense.


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