Recently, they have successfully petitioned the Council of Indigenous Peoples of the Taiwanese government to use the name "Tao" in place of "Yami".

[1][3] Citing threats to their culture and health, the Tao people have protested against the nuclear waste plant constructed on their island by the government in 1982 and advocated for its removal.

A common theory tracing their ancestry posits that their ancestors left the Batanes Archipelago in the Philippines, and settled Orchid Island approximately 800 years ago.

Also, it appears that these two groups traded goats, pigs, weapons, and gold until about 300 years ago due to continuous warfare.

However, the Tao and the Ivatan both speak closely related Western Malayo-Polynesian languages and there is evidence of limited gene flow between the groups.

Long-term trade contacts and limited intermarriage resulted in strong cultural and linguistic exchanges between the groups in subsequent millennia.

[3] It is located approximately 40 miles off the southeastern coast of Taiwan, and directly north of the Batanes Islands of the Philippines.

[9] In 1877, the Qing dynasty claimed Orchid Island as part of its Chinese empire, but was unable to rule effectively.

The Japanese government heavily monitored any outside influence that might drastically interfere with the Tao people's ways of life.

In the final layer of their ancient religious belief system resides the malevolent gods who may punish the Tao peoples with invasions of caterpillars and locusts.

The Tao people greatly fear anito, the collection of evil spirits, even more than they worship an omnipotent God.

[16] When a Tao individual is near death, relatives and friends stand beside his or her deathbed in full battle regalia in order to fight off evil spirits.

Once the funeral has commenced, attendees catch crab and fish to be cooked and eaten on that day in remembrance of the deceased.

Once the two parties are of marrying capabilities, relatives of both families formally propose to the woman's parents through the giving of presents.

Teyteyka lasts from June to October, and signifies the end of the period of time in which flying fish can be caught on the surface.

Finally, the amyan season signifies the time of year spent waiting for the flying fish to return.

As a device used for their sole method of securing sustenance and monetary gain, they place great emphasis on the production of these boats.

To celebrate, Tao women wear their agate beads necklaces and octagonal wooden hats a few days prior to the actual event.

On the actual day of the launching ceremony, the Tao people gather and slaughter pigs as sacrifice, and the boat owner offers meat and taro to all of the families in his community.

The men, dressed in traditional garb, circle the launching boat performing ceremonial rituals to ward off evil spirits before sending it into the water.

Fibers of the flax plant and banana leaf, but then later more commonly cotton, were used to create clothes of white, black, and navy colors.

Due to the indigenous group having no head and/or class system, clothing was equal amongst the people, even those who were technically more personal wealth than others.

It would be common to see a woman with a large piece of cloth that has four longitudinal strips of white, black, or navy blue sewn together.

Short skirts have three white and black or navy blue longitudinal stripes at each end while five or six-year-old girls wear only one piece.

Due to taro's ability to grow in a wide array of climates, it is a vital part of the Tao diet.

[21] In 1967, the Taiwanese government stepped in to provide the Tao people concrete homes, an act which the aboriginal community deemed an affront to their culture.

[2] The Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) completed construction of Orchid Island's nuclear waste storage facility in 1982.

Due to language barriers, the Tao people were not aware that a nuclear storage facility was being erected on their island.

[4] In 1987, when the Tao people finally learned of the dangers of nuclear waste, they began protests that lasted for more than twenty years.

[23] On 22 November 2019, the government awarded $2.55 billion NTD ($83.6 million USD) to Orchid Island residents as compensation for the nuclear waste storage facility, which was determined to have been constructed without their knowledge or consent.