After the excavation of remains of an ancient Negrit woman in a cave dating back to 6,000 years, it was proven that Taiwanese myth of “short and dark-skinned” people living in isolated mountains disappeared suddenly.
Nation’s tribes of indigenous peoples tell stories about hunter-gatherers with small stature who arrived in the country 4,800 years earlier. But, there has been a lot of mystery surrounding this group for hundreds years due to a lack evidence.
The skull was compared to African specimens by DNA testing. Other features such as the cranium are similar to those of Negritos from South Africa and the Philippines, all of whom are known for being small in stature.
Also, archaeologists found femur bones belonging to the female that suggested she measured approximately 4 feet 6 inches in height.
Although it is not clear what happened to this group of peoples, researchers who assisted with the research suggest that the Negritos’ decline could have been caused by the Austronesian arrivals.
A DNA analysis of the skull shows it is closer to African samples and features of the cranium resemble Negritos of the Philippines and South Africa, who all are well known for their short stature and small body size
The study in World Archeology states that “Negrito”, a Spanish contraction of negro was used first by 16th-century Spanish missionaries in order to refer to hunter-gatherers from the Philippines.”
The Negritos have a short stature, darker skin, and frizzy locks. Therefore, many groups with similar characteristics in neighboring regions, such as the Mani (Maniq in south Thailand), the Semang group in Peninsular Malaysia and the Andamanese of the Andaman islands, are often called the Negritos.
Taiwan is home to 16 Austronesian communities. All but one of these groups have similar stories about the Negrito people.
Three major cultural periods were the Chinese Qing Dynasty from 1683 to 1895 and then the Japanese Rule period 1895-1945, followed by the Post-1945 era.
Remains of the woman were discovered in a cave. They are thought to have been at least 6 000 years old.
Numerous documents from Quin Dynasty mentioned that there were’small-statured’ and ‘dark-skinned’ people on the island. It was noted they spoke a different tongue and intermarried between themselves.
The Japanese period saw scholars collect and interpret the stories about Negrito people from field research among Austronesian tribes. A total of 25 legends were found in Taiwan.
This topic attracted greater attention after 1945. The number of stories collected grew to 258 thanks to ethnological and linguistic field research.
However, the Austronesian groups differed in their opinions on Negritos.
According to the study, some indigenous tribes saw them as their ancestors and others as ‘aliens’ or enemies.
One tribe, called the Saisiyat claims that they received medicine, singing, and dance from Ta’ai.
More than 1,000 years ago, the Saisiyat killed what they believe to be the last village of Negritos in a battle over women – and the tribe still feels the guilt of their ancestors’ actions.
The Saisiyat forced a battle, cornering so many people on a bridge that the entire tribe drowned when warriors tipped it into a fast-flowing mountain river Chu Fung-lu, master of ceremonies for the memorial held in Wufeng Village deep in the mountains of central Taiwan, told Reuters.
Legends of short and dark-skinned individuals who lived in isolated mountains, according to the ancient Taiwanese myth. The group of Negritos living in Singapore are shown here
The Saisiyat are one of Taiwan’s native tribes. They claim that they were taught medicine, singing and dancing by the Ta’ai. They are here performing an alleged Negrito dance.
It is situated on the eastern coast of the island and contains one of the biggest Xiaoma caverns.
One of the largest Xiaoma caverns, which is situated on the eastern coast of the island, was found to contain the remains of the woman.
There were also deposits of Neolithic pottery and Iron Age finds in the dirt layers. These findings date back to between 2,000-6,000 years ago.
According to the position of her remains, it appears that she was placed to rest in a sitting position. This is consistent with other ways of burying hunter-gatherers in south China and Southeast Asia, including Mesolithic (11,000 to 20,000 years old) and Preceramic (4,000 years ago).
Because the pelvis could not be analyzed, archaeologists concluded that the skull was the place for sex.
The study concluded that the individual could be identified as female by the presence of the gracile cranium, small mastoid processes and smooth occipital attachment areas, perpendicular or elevated frontal bones, and the contour of the mandibular bottom.
The Negrito population is believed to be tied to the ‘first layer’ of anatomically modern humans who show a closer resemblance to Africans than present-day Eurasians who represent the ‘second-layer.’