Namasia District
(
Kanakanavu language,
Bunun language
The Bunun language () is spoken by the Bunun people of Taiwan. It is one of the Formosan languages, a geographic group of Austronesian languages, and is subdivided in five dialects: Isbukun, Takbunuaz, Takivatan, Takibaka and Takituduh. Isbuku ...
: ''Namasia''; ), formerly Sanmin Township (), is a
mountain indigenous district located in the northeastern part of
Kaohsiung,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. It is the second largest district in Kaohsiung after
Taoyuan District
Taoyuan District (), formerly known as Taoyuan City () prior to the establishment of the special municipality of Taoyuan in 2014, is a district of Taoyuan City in northwestern Taiwan. The municipal seat of Taoyuan City is situated within its bo ...
.
The population of the township is mainly the
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
Bunun,
Kanakanavu and
Saaroa peoples. The modern-day population of the Kanakanavu people live in the two villages of Manga and Takanua.
Name
On 1 January 2008, the then-township (which then was a part of
Kaohsiung County) was renamed from Sanmin to Namasia, as the name of Sanmin (taken from the
Sun Yat-sen's
Three Principles of the People), was considered an overly political name. Rather, the name Namasia was chosen, as it is the name of a local river in the
Tsou language
Tsou () is a divergent Austronesian language spoken by the Tsou people of Taiwan. Tsou is a threatened language; however, this status is uncertain. Its speakers are located in the west-central mountains southeast of the Chiayi/ Alishan area in ...
, while its meaning is "better and better" in the
Bunun language
The Bunun language () is spoken by the Bunun people of Taiwan. It is one of the Formosan languages, a geographic group of Austronesian languages, and is subdivided in five dialects: Isbukun, Takbunuaz, Takivatan, Takibaka and Takituduh. Isbuku ...
.
History
During the
period of Japanese rule, Namasia was grouped with
Maolin District and
Taoyuan District
Taoyuan District (), formerly known as Taoyuan City () prior to the establishment of the special municipality of Taoyuan in 2014, is a district of Taoyuan City in northwestern Taiwan. The municipal seat of Taoyuan City is situated within its bo ...
and classified as , which was governed under Kizan District of
Takao Prefecture
was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County.
Population
Administrative divisions
Cities and districts
In 1945 ( Shōwa 20), the ...
.
Geography
The lowest point in the
Qishan River
The Qishan River () or Nanzixian River () is a tributary of the Gaoping River in Taiwan. It flows through Chiayi County, Kaohsiung City, and Pingtung County for 117 km.
Bridges
* Jiaxian Bridge
See also
*List of rivers in Taiwan
This ...
valley is 430 meters above sea level; the highest is the peak of Mount Xinwangling (新望嶺), at 2,481 meters. The four main settlements upriver are Nangisalu (南沙魯), Maya (瑪雅), and Takanua (達卡努瓦) 1 & 2 .
There is plentiful wildlife: 29 mammal species, 97 bird species, 30 types of reptile, 16 amphibians, and 18 fishes. There are also 89 butterfly species.
Administrative divisions
Namasia District is divided into three
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
s:
* Nangisalu Village (南沙魯里)
* Maya Village (瑪雅里)
* Takanua Village (達卡努瓦里)
Politics
On 29 November 2014,
Dahu Istanda of
Taiwan First Nations Party
The Taiwan First Nations Party is a minor political party in Taiwan. Formed in 2012, the aim of the party is to represent the voices and issues of Taiwanese indigenous peoples. As of 2018 they have two locally-elected representatives; Dahu Istand ...
was
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
the first ever District Magistrate of Namasia.
On 24 November 2018, Payan Islituan was
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
the District Magistrate of Namasia.
See also
*
Kaohsiung
References
External links
*
Districts of Kaohsiung
Taiwan placenames originating from Formosan languages
{{Taiwan-geo-stub