According to Chinese and British writers to satisfy whom it may concern said the first inhabitants of the island now called Taiwan were the Taiwanese indigenous peoples, also known as Taiwanese aborigines.

Archaeological evidence suggests human settlement in Taiwan dating back as far as 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. These early inhabitants are believed to have migrated to Taiwan during the Late Pleistocene era when lower sea levels may have connected Taiwan to mainland China.

Around 4,000-6,000 years ago, Austronesian peoples arrived in Taiwan. These groups are considered the ancestors of many of the indigenous tribes who still inhabit Taiwan today. Taiwan is widely recognized as the linguistic homeland of the Austronesian expansion, which led to the settlement of many parts of East and Southeast Asia, Oceania, and even Africa.

Historically, various terms were used to refer to these indigenous peoples, often with negative connotations, such as "fan" (meaning barbarian) during the Qing Dynasty. Today, they are officially recognized as "indigenous peoples" in Taiwan, a term chosen by the communities themselves to emphasize their original ownership of the land and their unique status.

There are currently 16 officially recognized indigenous peoples in Taiwan, each with their own distinct languages, customs, and social structures.

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Were there people called pigmies meaning small people that lived in Taiwan before?

Yes, there are indeed significant historical accounts and folklore in Taiwan that speak of small-statured people, often described as "pygmy-like." These stories are particularly prevalent among certain Taiwanese indigenous groups.

Here's a breakdown of what is known:

• Folklore and Oral Traditions:

  • Many Taiwanese indigenous tribes, including the Saisiyat, Tsou, Bunun, and Paiwan, have oral traditions and legends about the existence of "little people" who predated their ancestors' arrival on the island.
  • The most famous example is the Pas-ta'ai (Ritual to the Spirits of the Short People) of the Saisiyat people. This biennial ritual commemorates the Ta'ai, a tribe of short, dark-skinned people who, according to legend, lived near them. The stories often describe these little people as being skilled in singing and dancing, possessing magical abilities, and sometimes being mischievous or even lascivious. The Saisiyat legend tells of a tragic event where the Saisiyat people caused the demise of most of the Ta'ai, and the ritual is held to appease their spirits and seek forgiveness.
  • Other tribes have similar names and descriptions for these diminutive people, such as the "Ngudul" of the Paiwan, the "Sazoso" of the Bunun, the "Ngutol" of the Rukai, and the "Kavorua" of the Tsou.

• Archaeological Evidence and Theories:

  • The persistent and widespread nature of these legends has led scholars to investigate their potential historical basis.
  • Recent archaeological discoveries have reignited interest in this topic. Notably, the discovery of a skull and partial skeleton in the Xiaoma Caves on Taiwan's east coast, dated to approximately 5,900 years ago (around the time the Austronesians were arriving), has provided compelling evidence.
  • The skull from Xiaoma is consistent with the descriptions in indigenous folklore: it is small, and its features most closely match those of Negrito people found in the Philippines and the Andaman Islands. This suggests that a population of small-statured hunter-gatherers, possibly related to Negrito groups in Southeast Asia, lived in Taiwan before the arrival of the Austronesian-speaking peoples.
  • During the Ice Age, lower sea levels might have connected Taiwan to both mainland Asia and the Philippines, facilitating the migration of these early inhabitants.

• "Pygmy" as a Term:

  • While the term "pygmy" often refers specifically to certain African groups, in a broader anthropological sense, it describes groups of unusually short stature. The historical accounts and archaeological findings in Taiwan, particularly the connection to Negrito populations, align with this broader understanding of "small people" or "pygmy-like" groups.

In summary, the legends of small people in Taiwan are not just mythical tales. They are strongly supported by archaeological evidence, suggesting that a population of small-statured, dark-skinned people, possibly related to Negritos, inhabited Taiwan before the ancestors of the current indigenous groups arrived.

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These same small people like pigmies were also found in some Asian countries like Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other parts...

Absolutely correct! The small-statured people often referred to as "Negritos" are indeed found in various parts of Southeast Asia, beyond just the historical accounts in Taiwan.

These groups are generally considered to be among the earliest inhabitants of many of these regions, predating the arrival of later migrations of larger-bodied Austronesian and other Asian populations.

Here's a breakdown of where these groups are found:

• Philippines: This is perhaps where the "Negrito" populations are most widely recognized and diverse. Groups like the Aeta (Luzon), Ati (Panay, Negros), and Mamanwa (Mindanao) are prominent. They are known for their dark skin, curly hair, and relatively short stature.

• Peninsular Malaysia: The Semang (including subgroups like the Batek) are the indigenous hunter-gatherer groups of Peninsular Malaysia. They also exhibit characteristics traditionally associated with "Negritos."

• Andaman Islands (India): The indigenous people of the Andaman Islands, such as the Great Andamanese, Onge, and Jarawa, are another distinct group of Negritos. They have been isolated for a very long time and maintain unique cultures and languages.

• Southern Thailand: The Maniq people (sometimes referred to as "Sakai" in older literature) are found in the rainforests of southern Thailand and are also considered Negrito.

• Vietnam: While not as widely recognized with substantial current populations, there are historical and anthropological discussions suggesting the presence of "pygmoid elements" in certain mountain tribes in Vietnam, particularly in the past. Some ancient skeletal remains from Vietnam also show affinities to earlier Southeast Asian hunter-gatherers who had "Negrito-like" features. However, unlike the Philippines or Malaysia, there isn't a widely recognized distinct Negrito population in Vietnam today.

• Indonesia: While the term "Negrito" is less commonly used for current populations in the Indonesian archipelago, historical evidence suggests early human migrations and settlements across the islands that likely included small-statured groups. The populations of eastern Indonesia (like parts of Papua and some eastern islands) show stronger genetic and phenotypic links to indigenous Australians and Melanesians, who share some ancestral connections with the "Negrito" groups.

Key Points about "Negritos" in Southeast Asia:

• Deep Ancestry: Genetic studies suggest these groups represent some of the oldest human lineages in Southeast Asia, tracing their ancestry back to the initial "Out of Africa" migrations along the southern coastal route.
• Adaptation: Their characteristic physical features (short stature, dark skin, curly hair) are often linked to adaptations to tropical rainforest environments, such as thermoregulation, navigating dense vegetation, and perhaps nutritional factors. This is sometimes referred to as convergent evolution, meaning different groups developed similar traits in response to similar environmental pressures.
• Cultural Diversity: Despite sharing some physical traits, these groups are incredibly diverse in their languages, cultures, and traditions.
• Interaction with Later Migrations: Over millennia, these "Negrito" populations often interacted with later waves of migrants, particularly the Austronesian-speaking peoples who spread throughout much of Island Southeast Asia. This led to varying degrees of assimilation, cultural exchange, and sometimes displacement.
• Evolving Terminology: The term "Negrito" itself is a Spanish diminutive meaning "little black people," and while historically used, some consider it to be outdated or even offensive. Researchers and indigenous communities often prefer more specific ethnonyms (e.g., Aeta, Semang) or broader terms like "early Southeast Asian hunter-gatherers."

The presence of "small people" in Taiwan, as evidenced by folklore and archaeological findings, fits perfectly within this broader picture of early human settlement patterns across Southeast Asia.

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In almost all Asian countries there are lots of evidence to show people from Africa first inhabited Asia many years ago...

There are substantial evidence supporting the "Out of Africa" theory, which posits that anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) originated in Africa and then dispersed across the globe, including to Asia, many years ago. India and Sri Lanka, being key regions along these dispersal routes, hold significant archaeological, genetic, and anthropological evidence for this.

Here's a breakdown of the evidence:

1. Genetic Evidence:

• Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome haplogroups: Studies of human genetic diversity consistently point to an African origin for all modern humans. Specific haplogroups (genetic markers) found in South Asia, particularly in indigenous populations like the Andaman Islanders, show very ancient lineages that trace back to Africa. For example, mtDNA haplogroup M and U, common in the Indian subcontinent, have coalescence times estimated between 50,000 and 70,000 years ago, aligning with the "Out of Africa" dispersal.
• Andaman Islanders: These groups, often described as having "Negrito" features, exhibit unique genetic markers (like M2 lineages) that suggest a very early colonization event from the Indian subcontinent, which itself was populated by migrants from Africa. Their genetic isolation for tens of thousands of years further supports their ancient origins.

2. Archaeological Evidence:

• Stone Tools: Archaeological sites in India and Sri Lanka have yielded ancient stone tools that bear similarities to those found in Africa. These tools, sometimes referred to as "Middle Paleolithic" assemblages, date back to periods consistent with the early human migrations out of Africa (around 60,000 to 100,000 years ago, and even earlier in some cases for earlier hominins like Homo erectus).
  • For example, tools found in the Kurnool Basin in India, and crescentic tool forms in Sri Lanka, have been compared to African industries, suggesting connections.
• Dating of Sites: Discoveries at sites like Jwalapuram in Andhra Pradesh, India, have yielded stone tools below layers of volcanic ash from the Toba super-eruption (around 74,000 years ago), suggesting a human presence in India even before or very shortly after this major global event.
• Fossil Evidence: While complete modern human fossils from the earliest migration periods are rare in South Asia, the Balangoda man in Sri Lanka is considered the oldest indisputably recognized Homo sapiens fossil yet discovered in South Asia, with evidence suggesting human occupation of the island as far back as 75,000 to 125,000 years ago.

3. "Southern Route" Hypothesis:

• A widely accepted model for the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa suggests a "southern route" along the coastlines of the Arabian Peninsula, India, and then Southeast Asia to Australasia. This route would have naturally brought early migrants to the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka.

Important Considerations:

• Multiple Waves of Migration: It's important to note that human migration into India and Sri Lanka was not a single event. There were likely multiple waves of migration over tens of thousands of years, with different groups arriving and interacting.
• Earlier Hominins: It's also worth distinguishing between the migration of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) and earlier hominins like Homo erectus. There's evidence that Homo erectus migrated out of Africa much earlier, around 1.8 million years ago, and reached parts of Asia. However, the evidence you refer to specifically relates to the later dispersal of Homo sapiens.

In conclusion, the combined genetic, archaeological, and anthropological evidence strongly supports the idea that people from Africa first inhabited Asia, with India and Sri Lanka playing a crucial role in these early human dispersal events.