Austronesian Archives | Island Folklore

Nine Categories of Taiwanese Folklore

We organize Taiwanese folklore into nine broad and overlapping categories. Four based on ethnic origin, and five on folkloric genre!

Yuma Taru is a legendary figure among the Atayal people of Taiwan. She has dedicated her life to preserving Taiwan’s indigenous heritage.

Taiwan is actually comprised of nearly 200 islands. One of these, Orchid Island, is home to the unique indigenous culture of the Tao people.

How the Red Leaves, an indigenous Taiwanese Little League team, emerged “out of left field” to ignite Taiwan’s baseball fever!

This is the story of how the Dutch East India Company arrived in Taiwan, named it, yanked it from its slumber and pushed it upon the world stage!

Taiwan’s Bunun people are an indigenous Formosan nation of famed warriors and skilled hunters.

How Canadian George Leslie Mackay built Taiwan’s Presbyterian Christian Church and brought healthcare to thousands.

An Australian newspaper’s real-time report of a massacre that forever scarred the Taiwanese.

The fascinating, global story of early Taiwanese money.

Taiwanese traditions that centre around the island’s cows, oxen and buffalos.

A tongue-in-cheek guide to the bizarre and multifaceted history of Taiwanese toponyms.

The story of an old Taiwanese chieftain who dared to march against the Empire of Japan.