A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

According to CIP, Atayal is a self-designation glossed as people or kin. The council associates Atayal communities with mountain districts across northern and central Taiwan.

CIP distinguishes Seqoleq and Tseole groupings and describes weaving and gaga ancestral teachings. Facial tattooing was historically practised and disrupted by Japanese prohibition; tattoo patterns now appear on cultural products.

The council records settlement shifts under Han expansion and Japanese forced relocation. It notes that Truku and Sediq received separate recognition in 2004 and 2008, so those identities should not be merged into present-day Atayal.

Seqoleq and Tseole internal groupings, per CIPWeaving and gaga ancestral teachings described by CIPFacial tattooing documented as a historical practice, not current universal custom
01

History & identity

No empirical origin is asserted. Origin stories mentioned in connection with Atayal are cultural narratives, not historical findings.

02

Sources & representation

A single undated CIP page (text lines 96 and 98–102), retrieved 2026-10-06.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Atayal

    Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan · n.d.

    Selected bibliography; undated institutional overview and sole source for this profile.

Language & cultural connections

Source-supported language and cultural connections have not yet been compiled for this profile.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Government institutional webpageAtayalResearch access: 2026-10-06

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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