Who Are the Thao?
The Thao are Taiwan's smallest officially recognized indigenous group, numbering approximately 700-800 people. They inhabit the shores of Sun Moon Lake (Riyuetan) in central Taiwan's Nantou County, one of Taiwan's most famous scenic destinations. They speak Thao, a critically endangered Austronesian language with no close relatives, representing an ancient, isolated branch of the Taiwanese indigenous language family. The Thao's location at Taiwan's premier tourist destination has brought economic opportunity but also intense pressure on their small community and culture, making them a case study in both endangerment and cultural tourism.
Lake Culture
Traditional Thao culture centered on Sun Moon Lake—fishing, hunting deer on the surrounding mountains, and cultivating millet and vegetables. The lake was sacred; legends describe the Thao following a white deer to discover the lake and settle its shores. Fishing using distinctive four-pronged fish spears and floating garden cultivation made the Thao unique among Taiwan's indigenous peoples. Annual harvest festivals honored ancestral spirits and ensured community wellbeing. The ulalaluan (pestle rhythm music), created by women pounding pestles into a stone trough in polyrhythmic patterns, became the Thao's most recognized cultural expression, now performed for tourists and at cultural events.
Displacement and Tourism
The Thao have been progressively displaced from their lakeside homeland. Japanese colonial development (early 20th century) relocated villages; the construction of Sun Moon Lake Dam (1934) flooded traditional lands; post-war development further reduced Thao territory. The 1999 Taiwan earthquake (centered near Sun Moon Lake) devastated Thao communities. Throughout these disruptions, tourism has grown: Sun Moon Lake receives millions of visitors annually. The Thao have been simultaneously displaced by development and incorporated as a tourist attraction. The Ita Thao community now serves as the main Thao settlement and tourist zone, where visitors experience cultural performances, purchase crafts, and view the lake—development that provides income but commercializes culture.
Contemporary Thao
Modern Thao face critical cultural survival challenges. The Thao language has fewer than 10 fluent elderly speakers remaining; language death appears imminent despite documentation and teaching efforts. Population remains tiny, vulnerable to assimilation through intermarriage and urbanization. Taiwan's recognition of the Thao as an official indigenous group (2001, after decades as a "sub-group" of the Tsou) has provided some support, but demographic and linguistic trends are severe. Tourism provides livelihoods but can trivialize culture. Young Thao must choose between remaining at Sun Moon Lake (with limited career options beyond tourism) or leaving for education and employment elsewhere. The Thao represent both the extreme vulnerability of tiny indigenous groups and the complex impacts of cultural tourism.
References
- Blust, R. (2003). Thao Dictionary
- Chen, Y. (2008). The Thao of Sun Moon Lake
- Taiwan Council of Indigenous Peoples. (2010). Thao Cultural Survey