The Sakizaya (native name: Sakuzaya, literally "real man"; Chinese: 撒奇萊雅族; pinyin: Sāqíláiyǎ; occasionally Sakiraya or Sakidaya) are Taiwanese indigenous peoples with a population of approximately 1,000.
Before this, the people was previously classified as Amis, the group where they "hid" after they, and their Kavalan allies, fought a devastating battle against Qing invaders during the late 19th century.
[3] According to some experts, the first human inhabitants of the island arrived 15,000 years ago and were dependent on marine life for survival.
[4] Neolithic peoples began arriving 6,000 years ago, which allowed the advent of agriculture, domestic animals, polished stone adzes, and pottery.
[9] In 2004, the community presented a petition for official ethnic group status to the Council of Indigenous Peoples based on historical, linguistic and cultural data.
[16] However, the National Chengchi University opened the classification to debate, stating that Sakizaya remains 60–70 percent different from the Amis language despite the two groups living together.
[6] They believe on a pantheon of ancestral spirits and deities known as dito, similar to the kawas of the Amis,[19] as well as the anito of the Filipinos.
[19] The homeland of the dito is Meilun Mountain in Hualien, which is also the place where the deceased pass through before finally resting in the sea.
[21] The practice of these are dictated according to the seasons: spring or pasavaan, summer or ralod, fall or sadinsing, and winter or kasinawan.
[5] According to a Japanese document, several rituals are associated with the main staples, millet or havay and dry rice or tipus.
They aimed to convey a new story using a variety of colors among which the most significant ones were: gold yellow for earth and homeland, light brown for identity, red for the historical battles and blue for peace and friendship with the Amis.
[26] Sakizaya clothing consists of upper garments, vests, leg coverings, betel nut bags, and headgear.
Unmarried girls wear mainly earthy gold without the dark red, representing childbirth.
[28] The brown and green on the skirt and leg coverings represent branches, grass, and mud from their ancestors' clothes.
Men’s headwear symbolizes the heroic story of two tribesmen sacrificing their lives for the whole tribe by jumping into the flood.
After the flood the triangular piece of snow-white marble rock was created on the Shabolu mountain, which is now a symbol on the men’s headwear.
[32] Women headwear on the other hand represents the hardships in the battle of 1878, by incorporating dark red for bloodshed, oval flakes for execution, long tubes for thorny bamboo, white drops for tears, and green beads for tribal defense.
[33] According to Japanese researchers, Sakizaya men are divided into age-class systems, known as sral, where they stay for about five years.