Paiwan Tribe is characterized by its strict enforcement of segregation between royalty and peasant classes, which are then further classified into Chief, royalty, warrior and peasant classes.The chiefs form the political, military and even religious leaders of their village, and their titles are inherited.The chiefs are spiritual leaders of their tribesmen, so they are highly respected and are decision-makers of their villages.The chiefs govern all matters of the village and make decisions together with elder meetings and village meetings.The village elders are mostly elected according to their abilities, and their numbers may range from 3 to 20, depending on size of village;only men over 45 years of age may be elected.

　　The power of each chief in Paiwan Tribe varies according to their zones of influence, which also depends on the number of peasants, thus some chiefs will often send gifts to more powerful chiefs and take on subordinate roles, in order to increase their own powers.However this structure was disrupted during the Japanese Occupation period when certain chiefs gained power through the aid of Japanese people, therefore at present when discussions on chieftain topics often require their family history to be stated.In any case this has also become tribal culture and must be passed on, since many legends have originated from chieftain houses and without them culture would not be fully passed on.

Researched and recorded by:Hsiao-ning, Hsiao-rong, Hsiao-rou

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