A Business Graduate's Reviewing History Blog

Here's a video of an old man dancing to the Taiwanese folk song "High Green Mountain". This is one of my favorite versions. The song ends with an aboriginal chant--something that sounds like an Ifugao beat from Nueva Ecija. 

Here's another Taiwanese aboriginal song called 我們都是一家人 (Wǒmen dōu shì yījiā rén). The song above mixes Taiwanese Mandarin and aboriginal language. The song means "We are family". This would be another Amis Tribe song in Taiwan.  Above is a version written in the Amis language. This would sound more authentic than the mixed language or the ones written in Mandarin.  Enjoy!

As a Chinese of Hokkien descent, I'm really not going to deny how often the word "si" or "death" was used in connection to exasperation. I hear the expression "ya si yo" to express how one is sick and tired. I remember saying "Ya si yo" when meeting people I knew I couldn't get anything out of them except useless gossip .  The meme I got from Bahay Tsinoy also made me think of using "death" to overemphasize. I don't think it's just limited to Fujian Chinese. I got into Chinese Grammar Wiki and found this interesting note: In English, you might use the expression "you scared me to death!" In Chinese, 死了 (sǐ le) is used similarly to intensify an adjective with an unpleasant connotation. It's pretty much a hyperbole . A good example would be like: 我 饿 死了. (Wǒ è sǐ le) which means "Hungry to death".  This would be another important tool in studying the Chinese language and culture. More often, the Ch...

Here's another Taiwanese indigenous song that never got out of my head. Searching these kinds of songs caused me to land on the Indonesian song Tolu Sahundalan which is "Three It Will Be Alright". The lyrics are purely sung in an Aboriginal language. The dance steps are, as always, similar to Malaysian aborigines and Filipino aborigines. The DNA of the Ami tribe is closest to Malaysian .  Here's a more lively of the Ami Welcome Dance. Sure, the first version is good but I think I like this version better. 

Another song that gave me an earworm is the Ami Tribe song "Song of the Ocean" (海洋之歌). Not surprisingly, the Amis Tribe has its members near the ocean. This excerpt from Vice gives some information on the Amis Tribe: The Amis tribe in Taiwan is the largest aboriginal group on the island. They are known for their connection to the sea, and it is for that reason that every April they host an Ocean Festival, where the community gathers at the beach and pay respect to the god of the ocean . In Chinese, the ceremony is called Hai Ji (海祭), which directly translates to the Ocean Festival. In the Amis language, it is romanized to Pafafoi, which means to sacrifice a pig. The word pafafoi almost sounds like the Filipino word for pig, meaning baboy. The Malaysian word is babi. The words are rather close. The song has a very unusual jingle. I remember enjoying the Ifugao and Mindanao drum beats during a Buwan ng Wika program back in high school. 

  While looking for an Aborigine song that gave me an earworm--I found this interesting aboriginal song. By looking at this video, I suspect that this song is actually a love song between a man and a woman,. It does sound very Ifugao-like as well. 

I'm trying to find some other Taiwanese aborigine songs. I think this is a song by the Amis tribe or the sea people. I believe the Amis are descended from the seafaring Indonesians and Malaysians. The song's aboriginal song and melody are rather enchanting. Maybe, an Ifugao or an Igorot scholar would be able to decode this wonderful song. If only the Philippines would show more respect to the indigenous tribes. It's a sad fact that Ifugaos would need to go to Taiwan to learn their weaving culture (read here ). These natives (who I believe are Malay and Indos) get more appreciation than the Filipino indigenous people.

Here's another indigenous musical instrument from Taiwan. It's called the Truku mouth harp. It's very similar to the Filipino jaw harp called the kubing which is also seen below... Below is a demonstration of the kubing. The concepts are very similar.   Right now, I feel the urge to go to Museo Subgo! 

This is another fun tribal dance video. I guess my obsession with Taiwanese milk tea (and the tea leaves are grown from Mt. Alishan) got me into this. Also, the tea brand Tealive (which is a Malaysian brand) got me more interested in this video.  Using Google translate, the song title "部落情懷" (Bùluò qínghuái) means "Tribal Feelings". It's a good thing to have Google translate these days especially when one is trying to learn the Chinese language. 

Here's another of the Amis culture in Taiwan. This is almost a sight that one can behold among the aborigines in Nueva Ecija or Baguio. Just looking at the resemblance between the Taiwanese natives and Filipino natives makes me think, "Filipino culture isn't too unique."  With my stand that the Taiwanese natives are actually of Malay origin - I'm not surprised at the similarity here and there. 

It's often a mistake for people to think that Double Ten is Taiwanese independence day. Actually, it was  December 7, 1949 , which was when Taipei became the capital of Taiwan. Instead, the real history of Double Ten can be  From the Taiwanese Community Center , we can read this interesting tidbit about Double Ten and why it still matters for Taiwan: So what is this holiday all about? October 10th is Taiwan National Day, but it is not Taiwan’s birthday.  Instead, it commemorates October 10, 1911, which was the start of an event called the Wuchang Uprising in China. This uprising led to the Xinhai Revolution which brought about the fall of the Qing (Ching) Dynasty, the end of the Chinese dynasties, and the founding of the Republic of China in 1912 .  At this time, Taiwan had been under the rule of the Empire of Japan since 1895, and i t was not until the end of World War Two in 1945 that Japan was forced to relinquish control of the island to the Republic of China . M...

There are many versions of the song "Gāo Shān Qīng" (高山青) which literally means "High Green Mountain". The Taiwan Panorama website also shares this detail of the anthem of Mt. Alishan : Though the Tsou don't actually live within the Alishan Forest Recreation Area, the CFDO had little choice but to build a cultural scene for Alishan on the basis of the old song Gao Shan Qing to satisfy visitors' imagined expectations of Alishan . The Tsou folk singing and dancing had stopped during the recent tourism downturn, but the Alishan National Scenic Area Administration held tryouts in 2008, for which the winning troupe won the opportunity to perform at the Alishan Forest Recreation Area entrance. "Tall green mountains, deep blue waters; the girls of Alishan are lovely as the waters; the men of Alishan are strong as the mountains...": Gao Shan Qing has pretty much become the anthem of Alishan. Gao Shan Qing was the theme song for the 1950 film Happenings in ...

I may not be going to Taiwan or the Mountain Province any time soon. However, I'm still fascinated by the performances done by both groups. It's no surprise that the DNA tests done would reveal common ancestry between Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino, and the ethnic groups in Taiwan. The words sound to be very similar to an Ifugao song. Similar yet different. The dances of the Taiwanese tribes in Taiwan share similaritites with the other ethnic groups in Asia. Above is an Ifugao dance demonstration.

It may no longer be Buwan ng Wika. Too bad I wasn't able to go yet to Museo Sugbo before the event ended. This is a video I found on YouTube with some DNA test results. It's no surprise that the DNA test result of the Ami people is similar to Indonesians, Malaysians, and Filipinos. Yes, I just mentioned Filipinos before some of my countrymen try to brag about their so-called "Filipino uniqueness".  An Inquirer article years ago talked about the possible links . Here's an excerpt I shared from a previous article that I wrote : TAIPEI—In communities of the indigenous Amis tribe across Taiwan,  locals say lima for five, pito for seven and mata for eye, just like Filipinos . In southern Taiwan’s Alishan mountain,  the Tsou tribe calls the community’s meeting hut a kuba, strikingly similar in design to the Philippines’ kubo . Whether in language, architecture or way of life, links among indigenous peoples of the Philippines and Taiwan are undeniable, with  both sides t...

I guess drinking Tealive and getting an interest in Southeast Asian culture is something. As the Austronesian tribes move, it's safe to say that most Filipinos are of Malaysian and Indonesian descent. The natives of Taiwan have the same ancestors as Filipinos. The song "Dayang Dayang" is sung in the Sinama language (read here )--a language commonly spoken in Indonesia and Malaysia. The dance is still very similar to Ifugao and Igorot.  The lyrics I found on YouTube really show a lot of language similar to several Filipino languages: Pakarongay kako Tosaay ko safaw no mihecaan Makecay to fonos ato tafoan Pakaen sa to kolong a tayra sa i lotok Kalicen ako i koror nira Maolahay a mi ngarngar sa to rengos Paladiw i han ako Sangowe'ngowe'sanay Pakarongay kako Tosaay ko safaw no mihecaan Makecay to tafoan ato fonos  Pakaen sa to kolong a tayra sa i lotok Kalicen ako i koror nira Maolahay a mi ngarngar sa to rengos Paladiw i han ako Sangowe'ngowe'sanay   Pakarong...

Bahay Tsinoy, museum of Chinese life in the Philippines  This textbook was a symbol of my past  trauma, especially during my high school years. I didn't have formal Chinese education and I had to face off with someone who was pretty much like the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Sure, that MDS-like teacher taught me a lot of stuff that I learned later in life. I'm still grateful I ran into that MDS-like teacher who still helped me after she flunked me. However, I feel the traditional Chinese textbooks were a really big hurdle to learning how to speak Mandarin. It's no joke that Mandarin has become more and more widely spoken. According to Langoly , this isn't a surprise to me as to why I viewed Mandarin as very important: There are around 1.118 billion speakers of Mandarin Chinese , and it has been spoken in China for more than 3,000 years. Mandarin Chinese is also the official language of Singapore and Taiwan. There are many other languages in China (like Cantonese), but...

Looking at this dances, I'm more than convinced that the aborigine tribes in Taiwan and the Philippines are indeed descended from Indonesians and Malaysians. I wrote about Malaysians and the link to aborigines in Southeast Asia . This dance by the aborigine natives are divided into several dances that have very ethnic names like Tayal dance and Saisiyat dance.  As I was watching these dances, they really remind me of the cultural heritage of indigenous Filipinos. The rhythmic movements would resemble to the Ifugaos and the Igorots to name a few. The different dances would similar to these... Yes, I'm referring to the common links between Filipino aborigines and Taiwanese aborigines. 

This is another bamboo dance done by what I believe are Atayal dancers. The dance steps are very similar to what one might find in Nueva Ecija or any indigenous region of the Philippines. What makes it more appealing to me is the absence of Taiwanese Mandarin in the lyrics. Instead, it's lyrics that would sound like the chanting of Filipino indigenous dancers. There are similar yet different movements between Taiwanese aborigines and Filipino aborigines. The Malaysians and Indonesians have settled in several places. The dance movements between Taiwanese aborigines and Filipino aborigines are too similar to be ignored. Even the indigenous language might be very similar. 

Taiwan Insight  I wrote about Ifugao OFWs in Taiwan . Another article I wrote was about  linking Taiwan aborigines and Filipino aborigines . I visited the Taiwan Insight website and found an interesting article about revitalizing indigenous weaving . This would be an interesting thing when Ifugaos are now going to Taiwan to find new ways of indigenous weaving: Seeking Alternatives through Overseas Experience Through weaving revitalisation, traditional textiles become part of the cultural identity of these Indigenous peoples. More young Indigenous people appreciate their weaving culture and want to learn weaving techniques. However, it is strenuous to weave consistently as a weaver. Weaving is considered to be a highly labour-intensive task. Traditional weaving tools cause health problems, including backache, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and impaired eyesight. In addition, it is hard to find a tutor to teach weaving due to the declining number of weavers and the continuo...

In my random informal study of indigenous tribes, I want to further learn more about the different indigenous tribes of Taiwan  where I seek to trace them to the Philippines . Another tribe is known as the Taroko tribe in Taiwan. There's the Taroko National Park which may remind Filipinos of places like the Mountain Province in Nueva Ecija. There's the Out-of-Taiwan theory which says many of the Filipino natives came from Taiwan. The travels of the Austronesians aren't so easy to trace. The song in the video is called 太魯閣之戀 (Tài lǔ gé zhī liàn) meaning Love of Taroko in English. The song mixes Mandarin and the Taroko language.  I find the song to be rather enchanting. The beats would feel similar to Filipino indigenous dances. A post I wrote compared Filipino aborigine songs with Taiwanese aborigine songs . The song uses some very indigenous language like li mei su la yo. I think la yo here is spelled as layo. Layo is also a word that appears in several Filipino languages...