face tattooing, Atayal people (Taiwan)

What a truly beautiful postcard that arrived last week from Taiwan! The sender writes about the “aboriginal” peoples of Taiwan, including the Tayal, one of whom is depicted here with face tattoos, “an ultimate glory.” The writer also writes about the Paiwan people, who are the second-most numerous aboriginal group in the country.

I’ve been fascinated by the many aboriginal groups of Taiwan, especially because their languages have helped linguists and anthropologists understand the migration of Polynesian people. Before the so-called “Age of Exploration,” Polynesian people were the most widely-distributed ethnic group on the planet, ranging from Taiwan to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), to Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Hawai’i!