Lanyu Cultural Festival Site Introduction
The Larawaw people in Taoyuan District were officially registered as the 15th indigenous tribe by the Indigenous Peoples Commission on June 26, 2014. They are mainly distributed in the Meilan community of Gaozhong Village (now Meilan Community) and the terrace area across the mouth of the Talorliu River. According to legend, the ancestors of this tribe interacted with the Pygmies for a time and established a deep friendship. When the Pygmies were leaving the tribe, they left large shells for the tribe members as a keepsake, symbolizing "harvest." In memory of this friendship and to pray for a bountiful harvest, the community gathers annually in the upper part of Meilan Community to build a sacrificial site made of grass and hold the "Shell God Festival" or "Holy Shell Festival."
