Kavalan
- Scope note
- Cultures and styles of the Kavalan people lived in Taiwan. The Kavalan people primarily live in Yilan. The word Kavalan derives from the place of the people’s landing form the sea. The word can also be traced to Kuvarawan (“people of the plain”) as opposed to Pusoram (“people of the mountains”). In the eighteenth century the Kavalan people was driven south to the Qilai plain in Hualien by agrarian settlers, and they were forced again to move to the coasts and the valley with the Qing invasion near the end of the nineteenth century. As a result of a long-term cohabitation of the Kavalan people with the Amis people, the Kavalan culture has borrowed some aspects from the Amis and the process involved a certain degree of mutual assimilation. Yet distinct Kavalan character can still be discerned from the Kavalan language and rituals, which serve as important markers of the Kavalan identity throughout the campaign.
- Date of creation: 18-Nov-2024
Accepted term: 18-Nov-2024