Paiwan

Paiwan communities inhabited the mountains and foothills of southern Taiwan, where hereditary chiefs and noble families held authority. Their houses could be built of slate, with carved wooden or stone panels marking a chief's household. Pottery vessels, glass beads and bronze knives were prized as heirlooms and signs of status. Some southern communities belonged to the chiefdom known as Tja'uvu'uvulj, whose leaders faced Dutch expeditions during the seventeenth century. Beads and vessels also formed part of the gifts exchanged at marriages between noble families.