Amis People - Identity and Classification

Identity and Classification

The Amis people generally identify themselves as Pangcah, which means "human" or "people of our kind." Nonetheless, in today's Taiwan, Amis is much more frequently used. This name comes from the word amis, meaning "north." There is still no consensus in the academic circle how "Amis" came to be used to address the Pangcah. One supposition is that it was originally used by the Puyuma to call the Pangcah, as the Pangcah lived to the north of them. Another supposition holds that those who lived in the Taitung Plain called themselves "Amis" because their ancestors had come from the north. The later explanation is recorded in the Banzoku Chōsa Hōkokusho, indicating this might originate from what is classified by anthropologists as Falangaw Amis, the Amis group located from today's Chengkong to the Taitung Plain. Their closest genetic relative appears to be the Filipinos.

According to Taiwanese Aboriginal History: Amis, the Amis are classified into five groups:

• Northern group (located on the Chihlai/Hualien Plain)
• Middle group (located west to the Coastal Mountains)
• Coastal group (located east to the Coastal Mountains)
• Falangaw group (located between Chengkong and the Taitung Plain)
• Hengchun group (located on the Hengchun Peninsula)

Note that such classification, however widely accepted, is merely based on the geographical distribution and tribal migration. It does not match the observed differences in culture, language, and physiques.