The Harvest Festival celebrated by the Ami is one of the most important aboriginal festivals. It lasts for seven days in late summer, at the end of the harvest season. During the first three days of the festival people sit down to talk about what they have achieved in the past year. This is followed by singing and dancing in the village square.

During this time the Ami also have a Proposal Festival for the unmarried. Young people spend time together to get acquainted, and on the last night of the Harvest Festival, a young woman chooses the man she wants to get engaged to by obtaining his belt. A chosen man then sends 20 bundles of firewood to the woman’s family; if these are accepted, the engagement becomes official.

Flying Fish Festival

This festival, which is observed by the Yami, is based on an ancient myth about a talking fish that taught the tribe to follow a strict set of rules concerning catching and eating of fish. According to legend, two Yami fishermen caught a hung winged fish that could fly. A little later, the fishermen’s families found sores breaking out on their skin. The tribal elder then has a dream about a fish call Blackfin, who asked to meet him the next day. Blackfin actually appeared before the old man the next day and taught him the rituals and ceremonies associated with the fishing season and the catching of flying fish.

To this day, the Yami still observe these rituals. At the start of the flying fish season, all Yami men put on ceremonial dress with silver caps and beautiful jewelry and go out to sea in decorated boats to catch flying fish. These fish are considered special and are not cooked in the same pots as other fish.

Festival of the Little People

The origin of this Saisiyat festival is told in a story dating back 500 years. At the time, the Saisiyat were not good farmers, but they managed to learn farming techniques from a group of pygmies. Unfortunately, the two people quarreled, and the Saisiyat killed the pygmies. After that, the Saisiyat became afraid that the spirits of the pygmies would take revenge, so they held a festival to appease and exorcise the spirits.

The theme of this festival still lies in appeasing the pygmy spirits through song and dance. The spirits are invited to attend the festival with ritual singing and dancing that lasts the whole night, over the next few days the pygmy spirits are greeted and entertained with more traditional songs and dances. On the seventh and last day, a small tree is placed over the spirit shrine. Young Saisiyat men then proceed to exorcise the spirits by throwing pieces of the tree at the eastern sky and by staging an aggressive dance to frighten away the spirits.

The Harvest Festival celebrated by the Ami is one of the most important aboriginal festivals. It lasts for seven days in late summer, at the end of the harvest season. During the first three days of the festival people sit down to talk about what they have achieved in the past year. This is followed by singing and dancing in the village square.

During this time the Ami also have a Proposal Festival for the unmarried. Young people spend time together to get acquainted, and on the last night of the Harvest Festival, a young woman chooses the man she wants to get engaged to by obtaining his belt. A chosen man then sends 20 bundles of firewood to the woman’s family; if these are accepted, the engagement becomes official.

Flying Fish Festival

This festival, which is observed by the Yami, is based on an ancient myth about a talking fish that taught the tribe to follow a strict set of rules concerning catching and eating of fish. According to legend, two Yami fishermen caught a hung winged fish that could fly. A little later, the fishermen’s families found sores breaking out on their skin. The tribal elder then has a dream about a fish call Blackfin, who asked to meet him the next day. Blackfin actually appeared before the old man the next day and taught him the rituals and ceremonies associated with the fishing season and the catching of flying fish.

To this day, the Yami still observe these rituals. At the start of the flying fish season, all Yami men put on ceremonial dress with silver caps and beautiful jewelry and go out to sea in decorated boats to catch flying fish. These fish are considered special and are not cooked in the same pots as other fish.

Festival of the Little People

The origin of this Saisiyat festival is told in a story dating back 500 years. At the time, the Saisiyat were not good farmers, but they managed to learn farming techniques from a group of pygmies. Unfortunately, the two people quarreled, and the Saisiyat killed the pygmies. After that, the Saisiyat became afraid that the spirits of the pygmies would take revenge, so they held a festival to appease and exorcise the spirits.

The theme of this festival still lies in appeasing the pygmy spirits through song and dance. The spirits are invited to attend the festival with ritual singing and dancing that lasts the whole night, over the next few days the pygmy spirits are greeted and entertained with more traditional songs and dances. On the seventh and last day, a small tree is placed over the spirit shrine. Young Saisiyat men then proceed to exorcise the spirits by throwing pieces of the tree at the eastern sky and by staging an aggressive dance to frighten away the spirits.