Saisiyat Folk Museum

Introduction
　　The Saisiyat is a minority tribe among all aboriginal tribes in Taiwan with about 5,000 people dwelling in Wufong Township in Hsinchu County as well as Nanjhuang Township and Shihtan Township in Miaoli County.

　　One of the most well-known and most important festivals of the Saisiyat tribe is the Pastaai Festival (also known as ‘Sacrifice to the Short People’) held every two years. And it will be held in grand scale every ten years. According to the legend, the Pastaai Festival is held to offer sacrifices to the spirits of the short people. The festival usually lasts 3 days around the fifteenth day of the tenth month of the Lunar Calendar.The venue of this festival, Siangtian Lake in Nanjhuang Township, would be crowded with tourists from all over the island.

　　The construction of the Saisiyat Folk Museum by the Siangtian Lake was completed in 2002. On the first floor will be the giftshop, the restaurant and the collection room. The information desk, the feature exhibition room and the multimedia briefing room will be on the second floor. The theme exhibit area, the wall of family names, and the meeting room are planned to be set up on the third floor.

　　The Museum is built with traditional Saisiyat techniques, using bamboo tiles and bamboo walls. There are many characteristic bamboo and ramie weaving handicrafts indoors and outdoors as well as other aboriginal creation. The restaurant on the first floor has a beautiful view over the lake and the mountains. There is also a traditional Saisiyat bamboo house in the outdoor plaza on the second floor.

　　Since the Saisiyat tribe respects the mother nature, their families names are inspired accordingly. Among all 14 Saisiyat family names, one will find names like Sun, Wind, Bean, Root, Jie, Tall, Summer and etc. A wall of Saisiyat family names is set up in the museum to introduce the origins of these names.

　　In the future, the museum is planning to hold various exhibitions, including photography, handicrafts and cuisine to introduce the culture of the Saisiyat.