They traditionally had a matrilineal kinship system, by which inheritance and property pass through the maternal line, and children are considered born to the mother's people.

[3] Traditional Amis villages were relatively large for Taiwanese indigenous communities, typically holding between 500 and 1,000 people.

While those living in the East Rift Valley and Hualien County generally identify as Pangcah, which means "human" or "people of our kind," Amis living in coastal Taitung County employ the term Amis.

A genetic study showed that Austronesian speakers such as the Ami and Atayal of Taiwan, and Kankanaey of Philippines have significant ancestry (67% to 74%) related to Neolithic Fujian source.

Traditionally black, Amis clothing has evolved during the 20th century to using more and more red, “for its perceived festiveness and compatibility with ethno-tourism”.

The musical project Enigma used an Amis chant in their song "Return to Innocence", on their second album, The Cross of Changes (1993).

The main chorus was sung by Difang and Igay Duana, who were part of a Taiwanese aboriginal cultural performance group.

Maison des Cultures du Monde had earlier recorded the singing of this group while on tour, and released a CD.

The recording studio and the Taiwanese group filed a suit for copyright infringement, which was later settled by Enigma out of court.